The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of presidential candidates and their running mates cleared to contest the January 2027 general elections.
The list, signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, was released by INEC on Saturday in Abuja and contains the presidential candidates sponsored by 18 political parties.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the list comprises 16 male presidential candidates, representing 88.9 per cent of the total, while only two candidates are female, accounting for 11.1 per cent.
Among the male presidential candidates are President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Atiku of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Peter Obi of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Others on the list are Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Donald Duke of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Chibuzor Okereke of the Labour Party (LP), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).
The two female presidential candidates are Okwori Fredrick of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Dr Esther Okereke of the National Redemption Party (NRM).
The commission’s gender breakdown for the vice-presidential candidates shows that 14 of the 18 running mates are male, representing 77.8 per cent, while four are female, accounting for 22.2 per cent.
The female vice-presidential candidates are Ofordile Egobia of the Allied Peoples Party (APP), Abubakar Usaku of the Democratic Labour Alliance (DLA), Konto Bintu of the Labour Party (LP), and Patience Ndidi of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
NAN further reports that INEC also released the final lists of candidates contesting the Senate and House of Representatives elections.
The publication of the final lists formally sets the stage for the political parties and their candidates to proceed towards the 2027 general elections.
