2027 Presidency: INEC Releases Final List of 18 Candidates as Tinubu, Atiku, Obi Make the Cut

Nigeria’s 2027 presidential contest has entered a new phase with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) publishing a list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates cleared to contest under 18 political parties.

The publication brings greater clarity to a race that has been dominated for months by coalition-building, party primaries and speculation over which political figures would ultimately appear on the ballot.

Among the names on the list are incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The list was signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and contains 18 presidential tickets, comprising 16 male presidential candidates and two female candidates. Four of the 18 vice-presidential candidates are women.

Tinubu, Atiku and Obi headline a crowded field

President Tinubu is seeking another term on the APC ticket with Vice President Kashim Shettima again as his running mate.

Atiku Abubakar, who has previously contested the presidency several times, is listed as the ADC candidate alongside former Rivers State governor and former federal minister Rotimi Amaechi.

Peter Obi is running under the Nigeria Democratic Congress, with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso listed as his running mate.

The presence of the three major political figures gives the 2027 race an early three-way focus, although the final outcome will depend on party structures, campaign organisation, regional support, voter turnout and the ability of the candidates to translate national visibility into votes across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

Other notable names include Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, former Cross River State governor Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement, and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party.

Two women make the presidential list

For the presidential position, two women appear on the final list.

They are Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori of the National Democratic Party and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement.

Women also feature among the vice-presidential candidates. INEC’s list identifies Peace Egobia Ofordile of the Allied Peoples Party, Nafisat Usaku Abubakar of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, Hajja Bintu Konto of the Labour Party and Patience Ndidi Key of the Young Progressive Party as female running mates.

The figures represent a relatively small proportion of the overall presidential field but provide an important point of reference as parties position themselves ahead of the election.

Full list of presidential candidates and running mates

The 18 tickets published for the 2027 presidential election are:

Party	Presidential candidate	Running mate
APC	Bola Ahmed Tinubu	Kashim Shettima
ADC	Atiku Abubakar	Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
NDC	Peter Gregory Obi	Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso
LP	Sunday Chibuzo Okereke	Hajja Bintu Konto
PDP	Sandy Ojang Onor	Umaru Babangida
AA	Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje	Shehu Hussaini
ADP	Aliyu Abbas-Bin	Chinazam Ike
APP	Kabiru Yusuf	Peace Egobia Ofordile
AAC	Omoyele Sowore	Haruna Garba Magashi
APM	Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde	Musa Lawal Daura
BP	Sunday Adenuga	Usman Turaki Mustapha
DLA	Moses Olusoji Adebisi	Nafisat Usaku Abubakar
NDP	Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori	Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka
NRM	Nkem Esther Okereke	Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman
PRP	Donald Duke	Kabiru Rabiu
SDP	Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo	Usman Muhammed Bugaje
YPP	Peter Ada Agada	Patience Ndidi Key
ZLP	Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu	Hassan Khalid

The published list gives the presidential candidates’ ages as ranging from 35 to 79. Atiku Abubakar, listed at 79, is the oldest presidential candidate, while Moses Olusoji Adebisi of the DLA, listed at 35, is the youngest.

What the final list means for the 2027 election

The release is significant because the presidential race is no longer simply a collection of declared ambitions. With INEC publishing the candidates and running mates, voters can begin comparing the actual tickets that are expected to appear on the ballot.

It also shifts attention toward the next stage of the election cycle: campaigns, policy messaging, voter mobilisation and scrutiny of candidates’ records.

INEC had earlier formally activated the 2027 electoral process and published a timetable for the election. The commission said the presidential and National Assembly elections would be followed by governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

However, the election timetable has become an important point requiring attention. INEC’s timetable currently indexed on its website lists 20 February 2027 for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while reporting on the newly published candidate list states that the commission subsequently revised the date to 16 January 2027 following the Electoral Act 2026. Publishers should therefore rely on the latest official INEC timetable when stating the election date.

What happens next?

The publication of the candidate list does not mean the political contest is over. Candidates and their parties now face the more difficult task of convincing voters.

The coming months are expected to be dominated by campaign launches, manifestos, rallies, debates, media appearances and efforts to build grassroots structures.

The major question will be whether the leading opposition candidates can convert their individual political strengths into a coordinated national challenge to the incumbent, while smaller parties will seek to distinguish themselves on issues such as the economy, security, unemployment, corruption, infrastructure and governance.

The 2027 presidential election is therefore moving from the stage of political speculation into a more defined electoral contest.

For Nigerian voters, the release provides an opportunity to begin examining not only the names on the ballot but also the policies, records, qualifications and campaign promises behind each ticket.

Note: INEC has previously amended candidate lists following court orders, deaths and corrections. Its record of the 2023 election shows that an initially published final list could subsequently be amended where legally required. Voters should therefore continue checking official INEC updates as the election approaches.