Jonathan Missing as INEC Green-lights Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Makinde, Others for 2027 Presidential Poll

August 02, () — In conformity with section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, published the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates for the January 16, 2027 election.

The electoral umpire had earlier directed all registered political parties to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act guiding the conduct of their primaries, urging them to finish the election between April 23 and May 30, 2026, and submit the names of their candidates for the general election.

The parties complied with the directive, even though some of them questioned the Commission’s authority to determine the timing of internal party processes.

Even so, the Commission listened to pleas from the Inter-Party Advisory Council and extended the deadline for parties to upload the names of their candidates by two days from Saturday, July 11, 2026 to Tuesday, July 14, midnight.

NAMES OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

On Saturday, the Commission published the names of the presidential candidates and national assembly members for the January 16, 2027 poll.

Mr. Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, reportedly said the commission’s Form EC9 contains the candidates’ affidavits, credentials, and other personal particulars that the political parties submitted to INEC.

“The documents will be displayed in all INEC state offices and offices in the constituencies. Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, provides for the publication of Form EC9 within 21 days of receipt. So, this is in line with the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election released on February 26, 2026,” he said.

The published names include incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC; Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC and Senator Sandy Onoh of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Political strategist, Abbas-Bin Aliyu, is the candidate of the African Democratic Party, ADP, while Dikwa Suleiman Mohammed is the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and Mr Adewole Adebayo Ebenezer, candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the 2023 poll, remains the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.

Others are Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as candidate of Allied People Movement APM, ex-Cross Rivers State governor, Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP; Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore of African Action Congress, AAC; businesswoman Okwori Ada Elizabeth Frederick of the National Democratic Party, NDP; former National Woman Leader of the Young Peoples Party, YPP and now its presidential candidate, Chukwu Anita Zugwai; National Chairman of Action Alliance, AA, who emerged as its candidate, Rufai Adekunle Omoaje; National Chairman of Because of Our Tomorrow, BOOT party who emerged as candidate, Adenuga Sunday and a lawyer, Memeh Samuel of Democratic Leadership Alliance. Founder and National Chairman of Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Chief Anyanwu Daniel Danerechukwu, who emerged as its candidate; businessman Okereke Sunday Chibuzor of the Labour Party, LP; actress and film producer, Okereke Iken Esther of the National Rescue Movement, and Yusuf Kabiru of the Action Peoples Party, APP are the other candidates.

The Commission said that names and particulars of Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates are to be published in the various senatorial districts and federal constituency headquarters across the country.

“The Commission is on course with its preparations for the 2027 General Election and will continue to carry out every stage of the electoral process in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026, and the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines,” the Administrative Secretary of the Commission in the FCT, Mrs. Bimbo Oladunjoye, who performed the exercise on behalf of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, said on Saturday.

She added that the public display of candidates’ personal particulars is a key legal requirement designed to strengthen transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s electoral system, in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

MISSING IN ACTION

Due to pending court cases and unresolved internal disputes in some parties, their candidates failed to make the list. Notable among them are the PDP led by the Kabiru Turaki Interim National Committee. On Friday, a day before INEC unveiled the presidential candidates, the Turaki-led party said it had manually submitted ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s name as its candidate for the presidential election, saying that the Commission issued the party a receipt in acknowledgment. All that has proved illusory and perhaps an end to its 2027 electoral journey. The PDP aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has therefore emerged victorious as the name of its candidate, Senator Sandy Onor, was published by INEC on Saturday.

Businessman and activist, Gbenga Hashim, who defected from the PDP last month to the Accord Party on whose platform he emerged as the presidential candidate, did not make the INEC list. gathered that litigation between the faction of Accord Party led by Dr Chris Imumolen, its presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, and the one recognised by INEC put a stop to his ambition. The recognized faction of the party produced incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State as its candidate for the August 15 governorship poll.

MAKINDE TAKES THE LEAD

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has taken the electoral lead among the presidential candidates by appointing state coordinators of the APM 2027 Presidential Campaign and the Director-General of the state Governorship Campaign Council.

Two days before INEC published the list of candidates, he appointed Executive Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board, Nureni Adeniran, as both the Oyo State Coordinator of the APM 2027 Presidential Campaign and the Director-General of the state Governorship Campaign Council. Other members of the council include Saheed Arowosaye, former Chairman of Oyo East Local Government, as Deputy State Coordinator, APM 2027 Presidential Campaign
Hon. Demola Ojo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, as Deputy Director-General (South).

Others are Dr Femi Ojo and Alhaji Siju Lawal, who will serve as Deputy Director-General for Oyo Central and Oyo North Senatorial Districts, respectively. Hon. Ramata Agberemi Dabo was appointed as Director, Women’s Wing, while Hon. Kazeem Bolarinwa, former Special Assistant (Youth) to Governor Makinde, will serve as Director, Youth Wing.

Makinde had earlier tried to ally with the major opposition political parties during a well-attended conference that he hosted in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, in May, 2026. After the speech-making at the gathering attended by Abubakar, Obi, Kwankwaso and  Turaki of the traditional wing of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and their officials, the partners went their separate ways in the face of internal party crisis and ensuing litigations.

By appointing politicians and cabinet officials into his campaign structure, Makinde has further revealed his seriousness to present a formidable challenge in the Southwest geo-political zone and use it as a launch pad for his presidential campaign across other geo-political zones in the country.

“By bypassing the PDP machinery entirely and utilising the APM as his presidential vehicle, Makinde is attempting to consolidate the fractured opposition vote without carrying the baggage of his former party’s endless litigation,” an analyst said.

ANOTHER THREE HORSE-RACE LIKELY

It would be four years on election day in 2027 when President Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC; Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the ADC, and their NDC counterpart, Peter Obi, dominated the 2023 presidential poll. Though the political landscape has changed drastically with the APC much stronger than its rivals structurally, having 31 governors, 230 out of 360 House of Representatives members and 87 out of 103 senators, not to mention Assembly members and Local Government officials, President Tinubu, Abubakar and Obi stand out from the crowd for their strong personalities and followership. These differences will give the electorate a chance to make choices. Abubakar and Obi, however, ran on different platforms in 2023: the PDP and LP, respectively.

Currently, Abubakar is the only formidable candidate from the North that can pose any challenge to President Tinubu, while Obi appears set to repeat his performance in the Southeast geopolitical zone where he won over 85 percent of the votes cast in the 2023 poll. He also has a strong appeal among the youths,18 to 35 years old who make up a strong political demography that accounts for roughly 39 per cent of total registered voters nationwide and up to 67.4 per cent to 69 per cent of new continuous voter registrations, according to INEC.