***Tinubu, Obi, Atiku, Makinde, 14 other presidential candidates scale final hurdle
The countdown to the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections gathered steam yesterday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued the final list of candidates for the two elections.
A total 4,878 candidates will be on the ballot on the day, 18 of whom will vie for the presidency while the remaining 4,860 will battle for 109 Senatorial and 360 House of Representatives seats.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is fielding candidates for all positions; a situation observers described last night as a declaration of intent.
The PDP is fielding 103 senatorial candidates and 302 HoR candidates while the ADC has a total of 107 senatorial candidates, and 220 HoR contestants, and NDC 103 senatorial candidates and 327 HoR candidates.
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has 103 Senatorial and 232 HoR candidates.
Leading the charge for the APC in the elections is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who along with Vice President Kashim Shettima is seeking a second term in office.
Both are on the INEC final list as are Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the ADC and Mr. Peter Obi of the NDC.
Two women are also on the final presidential candidates list, namely Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Four parties (YPP, LP, DLA and APP) have female vice presidential candidates.
Missing on the list is the name of the flag bearer of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The provisional list issued by the commission two weeks ago had Dikwa Suleiman Mohammed as NNPP candidate and Abubakar Isa as running mate.
It was not clear on Saturday why their names were dropped.
Two parties, Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and Young Progressive Party (YPP) changed their Presidential candidates and their Vice presidential candidates, while the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) replaced their vice presidential candidates.
Adebisi Amos Olusoji replaced Samuel Memeh as presidential candidate of DLA with Abubakar Nafisat Usaka (DLA) replacing Balogun Alex as the vice presidential candidate, while Agada Peter Ada and Key Patience Ndidi replaced Chikwu Anita Zugwai and Egeola Olawale Matins as presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate of YPP respectively.
The APM replaced Ibrahim Adamu Bala with Musa Lawal Daura as running mate; Sulaiman Nasir Mohammed replaced Abubakar Adamu Bala as running mate, while PRP replaced Baba Musa with Rabiu Kabiru as running mate.
Three other parties, according to the final list, have no presidential candidates.
They are Accord, All Progressive Grand Alliance and Youth Party.
None of them nominated a candidate at the close of nomination.
The oldest of the presidential candidates on the list is 79 years old while the youngest is 35 years old.
The full list:
1. APC: Bola Tinubu (74) / Kashim Shettima (59)
2. ADC: Atiku Abubakar (79) / Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (61)
3. NDC: Peter Gregory Obi (65) / Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso (69)
4. LP: Sunday Chibuzo Okereke (43) / Hajja Bintu Konto (54)
5. PDP: Sandy Ojang Onor (60) / Umaru Babangida (61)
6. AA: Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje / Shehu Hussaini
7. ADP: Aliyu Abbas-Bin / Chinazam Ikeh
8. APP: Kabiru Yusuf / Peace Egobia Ofordile
9. AAC: Omoyele Sowore / Haruna Garba Magashi
10. APM: Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (58) / Musa Lawal Daura
11. BP: Sunday Adenuga / Usman Turaki Mustapha
12. DLA: Moses Olusoji Adebisi / Nafisat Usaku Abubakar
13. NDP: Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori / Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka
14. NRM: Nkem Esther Okereke / Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman
15. PRP: Donald Duke / Kabiru Rabiu
16. SDP: Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo / Usman Muhammed Bugaje
17. YPP: Peter Ada Agada / Patience Ndidi Key
18. ZLP: Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu / Hassan Khalid
Akpabio, Abbass, Barau, Kalu, others okayed for NASS polls
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, his deputy Barau Jibrin, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, other principal officers of the national legislature and current state governors got INEC’s final nod to contest for the NASS election.
They are all seeking reelection on the platform of the APC.
Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) are similarly in the senatorial race.
They are joined by at least 12 former governors and a former deputy governor seeking election or re-election to the Red Chamber. The list includes Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta North), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), Mukhtar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna North), Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano Central), and Muhammadu Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central).
Others are Yahaya Bello (Kogi Central), Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger North), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South), Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto North), Abdullahi Yari (Zamfara West), and former Lagos Deputy Governor Idiat Oluranti Adebule.
Long-serving lawmaker Sen. Ali Ndume (Borno West), first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003, secured his spot on the ballot, alongside human rights activist Sen. Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central).
Two members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) also made the cut: National Vice Chairman (South West) Isaacs Kekemeke (Ondo South) and North East Vice Chairman Salihu Mustapha (Adamawa Central).
Other key Senate candidates include Senate Committee Chairman on Media Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East), Paul Ikonne (Abia South), Musa Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina Central), and Philip Tanimu Aduda (FCT).
Senate Leader Bamidele Opeyemi, Senate Whip Mohammed Tahir Mongunu and Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, Deputy House Leader Abdullahi Ali are also on the list.
About 190 current members of House of Representatives and 54 serving senators got the nod of the APC to seek fresh mandate.
Some principal officers of the House (Julius Ihonbvere (Edo-House Leader), Fred Agbedi (Bayelsa-Minority Leader), Ibrahim Ayokunle Isiaka (Ogun-Deputy Chief Whip), Abdulsamad Dasuki (Sokoto-Deputy Minority Whip) and Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi will not be returning to the House.
While Ihonvbere and Ibrahim lost the primary elections in their state, Agbedi opted to contest the senatorial election on the platform of the Tanimu Turaki led camp of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dasuki opted not to recontest the elections while Ozodinobi’s name was missing from the list of candidates in Anambra.
Only one of the six members of the House of Representatives from Kwara State (Muktar Tolani Shagaya) made the list.
Several experienced members of the House, including Nicholas Mutu (Delta) who has been in the House since 1999, Victor Nwokolo (Delta- since 2011), Peter Akpatson (Edo-since 2011), Igarewey Iduma Enwo (Ebonyi- since 2015), Awaji Nombet Abiante (Rivers) and Khadijat Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe- 2007-2015 and 2019 -2027) are not returning to the legislature.
Khadijat, who was first Lady of Yobe State from 1999 to 2007, was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs by the Buhari administration after winning her return ticket to the House in the 2015 National Assembly elections.
Two members of the HoR (Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi- Nasarawa) and Kingsley Chinda are contesting the governorship elections in Nasarawa (Labour Party) and Rivers (APC).
A breakdown of the candidates list shows that a total of 40 candidates are contesting the three senatorial seats in Abia, 38 in Adamawa, 37 in Akwa Ibom, 42 in Anambra, 31 in Bauchi, 45 in Bayelsa, 39 in Benue, 33 in Borno, 25 in Cross River, 43 in Delta, 30 in Ebonyi, 26 in Edo, 19 in Ekiti and 38 in Enugu.
Others are Gombe (37), FCT (20), Imo (45), Jigawa (31), Kaduna (33), Kano (49), Katsina (23), Kebbi (35), Kogi (42), Kwara (35), Lagos (36), Nasarawa (36), Niger (34), Ogun (37), Ondo (31), Osun (39), Oyo (38), Plateau (32), Rivers (41), Sokoto (36), Taraba (35), Yobe (26), Zamfara (37).
For the House of Representatives, Abia has 92 candidates, Adamawa (95), Akwa Ibom (103), Anambra (108), Bauchi (123), Bayelsa (61), Benue (118), Borno (72), Cross River (63),Delta (116), Ebonyi (65), Edo (51), Ekiti (36), Enugu (75), Gombe (64), FCT (37), Imo (140), Jigawa (85), Kaduna (151), Kano (251), Katsina (104), Kebbi (62), Kogi (94), Kwara (65), Lagos (184), Nasarawa (61), Niger (92), Ogun (95), Ondo (91), Osun (81), Oyo (151), Plateau (86), Rivers (146), Sokoto (138), Taraba (70), Yobe (62) and Zamfara (72).
About 58 candidates are contesting the three National Assembly seats in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
All the major political parties -All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party (LP) are presenting candidates for the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Current Senator, Ireti Kingibe will fly the ADC flag during the election while former Senator Phillip Aduda is the APC candidate for the elections for the only available senate seat.
Others contesting the Senate seat in the FCT are Musa Dalhat (Accord), Omotosho Ololade (AA), Rabiu Adekunle (ADP), Ibe Tochukwu Collins (APP), Chuks Achusi (APGA), Adamu Umar Yahaya (APM), Ayeni Adekunle Kazeem (AAC), Ibrahim Musa (DLA), Joshua Mamah (LP), Omiloli Teddy (NDP), Abe Fisayo Makanjuola (NRM), Olusina Temilolu Oyebisi (NNPP), Austen Peters-Pam Amanda (NDC), Angulu Bako (PDP), Muoneme Juliet Hassana (PRP), Osho Olarewaju (SDP), Benyeogor Blessing Ugedojo (YPP) and Asikhia Uwakhemen Festus (ZLP).
The current House of Representatives member for AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency, Chinedu Obika will contest the seat against 21 others on the platform of Accord.
Obika who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party defected to the APC, left the APC for ADC and then to NDC, but failed to get the ticket before joining Accord.
His counterpart in Abuja South, Ajiya Abdulrahman, failed to make it through the primaries.
In Osun State, about 120 candidates are listed for the nine available National Assembly seats, with 39 candidates contesting the three Senate seats while 81 others will be slugging it out for the nine House of Representatives seats.
In Kwara State, 65 candidates are listed for the six House of Representatives seats and 35 for the three Senate seats, while in Kogi State, 94 candidates will contest the nine House of Representatives seats, while 42 others will contest the three Senatorial seats.
Oyo State
A total of 189 candidates representing 17 political parties will contest for federal legislative seats in Oyo State.
The broad lineup features 38 candidates vying for the three Senatorial District slots, alongside 151 candidates competing across the 14 Federal House of Representatives constituencies in the state.
Six political parties including APC, Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), have 17 candidates each for the Senate and HoR seats.
The six parties established complete coverage across the entire state by nominating candidates for every available seat in all three Senatorial Districts and all 14 House of Representatives constituencies.
But only nine political parties fielded candidates for all three senatorial seats in the state. These parties are Accord, ADP, ADC, APC, APM, LP, NDC, PDP, and SDP.
Okowa, Omo-Agege, Ochei, Joel-Onowakpo, Elumelu others make Delta NASS list
The INEC list for Delta State comprises 43 senatorial candidates across Delta North, Delta Central and Delta South, as well as 116 candidates for the House of Representatives seats across the state.
The senatorial contest features former Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who is listed under the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Delta North; former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), for Delta Central; former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei, also of the NDC, for Delta North; and the incumbent senator representing Delta South, Joel-Onowakpo Thomas of the APC.
Other notable names on the senatorial list include Ede Dafinone Omueya (APC) in Delta Central.
The House of Representatives list also contains several serving and former lawmakers and other prominent political figures.
Among them are Ndudi Elumelu (APC) for Aniocha North/Aniocha South/Oshimili North/Oshimili South; Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (APC) for Ethiope East/Ethiope West; Jonathan Ukodhiko (APC) for Isoko North/Isoko South; Beneth Osanebi (PDP) for Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwuani; Francis Waive (APC) for Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu; Julius Pondi (APC) for Burutu; and Thomas Ereyitomi (APC) for Warri North/Warri South/Warri South-West.
Also listed are Gbajobor Guwor (NDC) for Burutu and other candidates fielded by the ADC, APC, LP, NDC, PDP, SDP and several smaller parties.
The list indicates a potentially competitive National Assembly election in the state, particularly in constituencies where serving or former lawmakers are seeking to retain or reclaim their seats.
Kwara
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and serving Senator Salihu Mustapha made the final list of the senatorial candidates for Kwara Central contest.
The two former allies will be contesting on opposing platforms: AbdulRazaq in APC and Mustapha in PDP. Other candidates from Kwara central include Adesola Kehinde (AA), Gani Omolabi (ADP), Gbadesogun Olufemi Adeleke (APP), Abdulahi Risikat Motunrayo (ADC), Anjorin John Temitayo (APM), Abdulkarim-Adisa Maryam Ayoola-Fadekemi (LP), Adefolu Adekunle (NRM), Lawal Abdulhakeem Toyin (NNPP), Suleiman Abdulrasheed Olufemi Omoda (NDC) and Alhaji Salma AbdulYakini (SDP).
From Kwara north the candidates are: Salihu Muritala (A), Ibrahim Ejiko (AA), Temako Naomi (ADP), Ibrahim Ramat (APP), Bala Taoheed (ADC), Mahmud Umar Mohammad (APC), Owolabi Felicia (APM) and Abdulgafar Sulaiman (NRM). Others are Tajudeen A Mohammed (NPP), Gana Thomas Audu (NDC) and Jiya Kollo (PDP).
NDC has no candidates in 10 senatorial districts
The INEC list shows that the NDC has no candidates in 10 senatorial districts across the country.
These are: Bauchi South, Bauchi Central, Bauchi North, Benue North East, Ekiti South, Jigawa North East, Kaduna South, Katsina Central, Yobe East and Yobe North.
