The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed 18 presidential candidates for the 2027 election, with only two women among the contestants.
The final list also contains 18 vice-presidential candidates, bringing the total number of people listed on the presidential tickets to 36.
Of the 36 candidates, six are women, representing 16.7 per cent of the total. Four of the women are running for vice-president, while two are presidential candidates.
The figures are contained in INEC’s three-page Presidential Final List of Candidates released on Sunday.
Only two women seeking presidency
The two women listed as presidential candidates are Okwori Ada Elizabeth Fredrick of the NDP and Okereke Nkem Esther of the NRM.
Okwori is listed at 48 years old, while Okereke is 43.
The four female vice-presidential candidates are Ofordile Peace Egobia of the APP, Abubakar Nafisat Usaku of the DLA, Konto Hajja Bintu of the LP and Key Patience Ndidi of the YPP.
This means women account for 11.1 per cent of the presidential candidates, while their representation among vice-presidential candidates is 22.2 per cent.
18 parties, 18 presidential tickets
The INEC list shows a broad field of 18 political parties, with each party represented by one presidential ticket.
The parties are AA, ADP, APP, AAC, ADC, APC, APM, BP, DLA, LP, NDP, NRM, NDC, PDP, PRP, SDP, YPP and ZLP.
The list therefore presents a presidential contest involving parties across a wide range of the political field rather than a list dominated exclusively by the major parties.
Among the tickets are those of APC, whose presidential candidate is listed as President Bola Tinubu with Vice President Kashim Shettima as running mate, and PDP, whose ticket comprises Onor Sandy Ojang and Umaru Babangida.
The ADC ticket lists former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate and Amaechi Chibui ke Rotimi as vice-presidential candidate.
The NDC ticket has Obi Peter Gregory as presidential candidate and Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso as running mate.
Candidates range from 35 to 80
Age is another notable feature of the list.
The youngest presidential candidate is Adebisi Moses Olusoji of the DLA, who is listed as 35 years old.
The oldest presidential candidate is Abubakar Atiku, listed at 79.
Among the vice-presidential candidates, the youngest are Abubakar Nafisat Usaku of the DLA and Sulaiman Nasir Muhammed of the NRM, both listed at 35.
The oldest vice-presidential candidate is Rabiu Kabiru of the PRP, listed at 80.
The age spread across the two positions therefore runs from 35 to 80 years.
APM ticket includes Makinde
The list also contains Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as the presidential candidate of the APM, with Musa Lawal Daura as his running mate.
INEC lists Makinde as 58 years old and Daura as 73.
The qualification field for Makinde states Bishop Philips Academy Ibadan, while Daura’s entry includes the University of Lagos, Akoka and ABU Zaria among the qualifications recorded by the commission.
What the final list shows
The presidential list provides a snapshot of the breadth of the 2027 contest: 18 presidential tickets, 36 candidates and 18 political parties.
But the strongest numerical feature is the continuing gender imbalance.
While six women appear somewhere on the presidential tickets, only two of the 18 presidential slots are occupied by women.
The list also shows considerable variation in the ages of those seeking the two highest elective positions, with candidates ranging from their mid-30s to 80.
INEC’s document records the candidates’ names, parties, positions, ages, gender, disability status and qualifications. It does not, however, establish their electoral strength, support base or chances of winning.
See the 2027 Presidential List
