Nigeria’s 2027 presidential contest has taken a definitive shape, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and 14 other candidates listed to battle for the nation’s highest office.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s final candidate list has effectively cleared the way for an 18-way presidential contest, bringing to an end months of political manoeuvring, party realignments and disputes over nomination tickets.
INEC’s timetable had fixed September 12, 2026, for the publication of the final list of nominated presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The commission had earlier published candidates’ personal particulars and credentials on August 1, giving Nigerians an opportunity to scrutinise the information submitted by the parties.
President Tinubu will seek a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with Vice President Kashim Shettima remaining his running mate. The ticket places the incumbent administration at the centre of what is expected to be a fiercely contested election.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is flying the flag of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, with former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate. The pairing has positioned the ADC as one of the principal opposition platforms challenging the APC.
Peter Obi, who made a major impact in the 2023 presidential election, is contesting under the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, with former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.
Their pairing brings together two prominent political figures from the South-East and North-West respectively.
Another major name on the ballot is Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who is contesting under the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.
Makinde formally declared his presidential ambition in May and subsequently emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, with former Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura, as his running mate.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is represented by former Cross River Central senator and professor, Sandy Ojang Onor, with Umaru Babangida as his running mate. Onor emerged as the PDP presidential candidate after a consensus process within the faction of the party that produced his candidacy.
Other candidates on the final list include African Action Congress standard-bearer Omoyele Sowore; Peoples Redemption Party candidate Donald Duke; Social Democratic Party candidate Adewole Adebayo; Labour Party candidate Sunday Chibuzor Okereke; National Rescue Movement candidate Esther Nkem Okereke; and Young Progressives Party candidate Peter Ada Agada.
The Action Alliance is represented by Rufai Adekunle Omoaje, while Aliyu Abbas-Bin is the candidate of the Action Democratic Party. Kabiru Yusuf is contesting for the Action Peoples Party, while Sunday Adenuga is flying the flag of the Boot Party.
Also on the ballot are Moses Olusoji Adebisi of the Democratic Liberty Alliance; Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party; Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu of the Zenith Labour Party; and Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo of the SDP.
With the final field now taking shape, the 2027 presidential election is set to feature a mixture of experienced national politicians, serving office holders, former governors, former legislators, activists and newer political figures.
Three women are also among the presidential candidates, underscoring a modest but notable female presence in a contest still dominated by male candidates. Earlier reporting had identified Esther Nkem Okereke, Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori and the YPP candidate among the women seeking the presidency.
A contest dominated by familiar names
At the top of the race are politicians with substantial national profiles and established political structures.
Tinubu enters the contest as the incumbent, while Atiku is making another attempt at the presidency after his previous unsuccessful bids.
Obi, meanwhile, returns to the presidential contest after his strong showing in 2023, while Makinde enters the race as a serving governor seeking to translate his experience in Oyo State into a national political platform.
Sowore represents a different strand of the contest, having built his political profile around activism and criticism of successive administrations. Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, also brings previous executive experience to the race.
Adebayo, who contested the presidency in 2023 on the SDP platform, is another returning contender, while the remaining candidates are expected to use the campaign period to present themselves as alternatives to the dominant political blocs.
From 19 names to an 18-candidate field
One significant feature of the final lineup is the change from the 19-candidate field widely reported after INEC’s August publication of candidates’ particulars.
Reports published at the time listed 19 presidential candidates, including the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, candidate Suleiman Mohammed Dikwa.
The final field being reported now contains 18 candidates, with the NNPP ticket absent. This makes the September 12 publication particularly significant because it represents the candidate lineup after the period allowed for withdrawals and replacements.
INEC’s electoral timetable provided August 22 as the deadline for political parties to withdraw candidates or replace withdrawn candidates before publication of the final presidential list on September 12.
Campaign battle now moves into full gear
With the candidates settled, attention will increasingly shift from nomination disputes to the substance of the campaign — the economy, insecurity, unemployment, infrastructure, corruption, constitutional reform and the broader question of how Nigeria should be governed.
Presidential campaigns formally commenced on August 19 under INEC’s timetable, meaning the competing camps are already expected to be taking their messages to voters across the country.
The National Peace Accord signed by presidential candidates and political parties ahead of the commencement of campaigns has also placed renewed emphasis on issue-based campaigning and peaceful conduct.
Tinubu was absent from the signing ceremony and was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, while Obi, Sowore and Adebayo were among the candidates who attended personally.
For voters, however, the final list does more than establish who will appear on the ballot. It provides the clearest picture yet of the political choices confronting Nigerians as the country heads towards another consequential presidential election.
The battle is no longer simply about who can secure a party ticket. It is now a contest for national acceptance, electoral strength and the trust of millions of Nigerians who will ultimately decide who occupies Aso Rock after the 2027 election.
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