2027: Six Parties Confirm Presidential Candidates As INEC Deadline Nears

Two days to the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conclusion of all party primaries, at least six political parties participating in the 2027 presidential election have confirmed their candidates.

The parties that have concluded their presidential primaries and confirmed their flagbearers include the All Progressives Congress (APC), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the African Action Congress (AAC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Naija News reports that President Bola Tinubu emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar secured the ticket of the ADC after defeating former Rivers State Governor, and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and banker, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

Former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, emerged as the presidential candidate of the PRP, while Prince Adewole Adebayo was elected as the presidential candidate of the SDP.

Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, picked the ticket of the AAC, while Sandy Onor emerged as the candidate of the Wike-backed PDP.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is also expected to affirm the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as its presidential candidate, as he is said to be the sole aspirant for the ticket.

There are also indications that other parties, including the Accord Party and the Allied Peoples Movement, will complete their processes before the Saturday deadline.

INEC Deadline Ends Saturday

INEC had fixed May 30, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to conclude all primary elections ahead of the 2027 general election.

The primaries cover elections into the State Houses of Assembly, National Assembly, governorship seats and the office of the President.

The conduct of party primaries, including the resolution of disputes arising from the exercises, commenced on April 23, 2026, and is expected to end on Saturday, May 30, 2026.

As the exercise commenced on May 23, political parties scheduled their primaries on different dates, with some parties adopting direct primaries, others using delegates, while some opted for affirmation or consensus arrangements.

However, the process has not been without controversy, as several aspirants across the parties complained of alleged vote manipulation, exclusion, imposition and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

Some aggrieved aspirants have also left their parties in protest over the conduct of the primaries.

The ADC concluded one of the most closely watched presidential primaries, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerging as the winner.

At the end of the collation, the party declared that out of a total of 3,113,599 registered members, 2,527,977 participated in the exercise.

The official results showed that Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes.

Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.

The ADC primary attracted national attention because of the calibre of aspirants involved and the growing political realignments among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 and 2023 elections, entered the ADC race as one of the most prominent figures in the opposition.

Amaechi, a former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and former Minister of Transportation, contested the ticket on a platform of institutional reform and stronger internal party democracy.

Hayatu-Deen, a banker and economist, ran on an economic reform message, with emphasis on restructuring, job creation and private sector-led growth.

The ADC primary was, however, trailed by complaints from some aspirants, particularly over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exercise.

Speaking on the concerns raised by Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, a chieftain of the ADC, Kola Ologbondiyan, said aggrieved aspirants were expected to present their cases before the party’s appeal committee.

Ologbondiyan said the ADC had internal mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from the primary.

He said, “There is an appeal committee after the Primary election. Those that have issues I believe will take their case there. Also the party has several internal mechanism in dealing with the issue. So I believe the issue will be resolved soon.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, were unsuccessful.

He had yet to respond to messages sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report.

Tinubu Secures APC Ticket With 10.9 Million Votes

President Bola Tinubu emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2027 general election on Monday.

As a result of the APC primaries held across the country, Tinubu secured 10.9 million votes.

He defeated his only challenger, Stanley Osifo, who polled 16,504 votes in the exercise conducted across 8,809 wards in the country.

The exercise confirmed Tinubu as the candidate of the ruling party as he seeks another term in office.

Osifo expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the primary and congratulated the President when Tinubu was presented with his certificate of return.

Tinubu’s emergence did not come as a surprise to many party members, as he had enjoyed the support of key APC leaders and structures across the country ahead of the primary.

Duke Emerges PRP Presidential Candidate

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), on Tuesday, declared former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, as its presidential flagbearer for the 2027 general election.

The result was announced at the PRP national secretariat in Abuja by the party’s National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.

Baba-Ahmed said Duke secured the party’s presidential ticket after polling the highest number of votes in the primary election.

According to him, Duke won with 6,499 votes.

His closest rival, Kingsley Yakubu, who ran a nationwide campaign focused on youth inclusion and economic reform, scored 2,699 votes.

Dr Nnaoke Ufere, an academic and policy expert, came third with 784 votes.

While declaring the official result, Baba-Ahmed said the exercise was free, credible and devoid of any form of bias.

He also urged any aspirant who was not satisfied with the outcome to follow the party’s internal appeal process.

Duke’s emergence adds another prominent former governor to the 2027 presidential race, as political parties continue to position themselves ahead of the election.

Sowore Picks AAC Presidential Ticket

Human rights activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, also emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress for the 2027 election.

Sowore was declared the candidate of the party during its presidential primary held in Abuja.

In his address, the Chairman of the AAC Primary Election Committee, Kayode Babayemi, said Sowore’s adoption showed the party’s confidence in his commitment to justice, good governance and democracy.

While accepting the nomination, Sowore described the AAC as the only genuine opposition party in Nigeria.

He said, “This year, our party, the African Action Congress, turns eight years old. As the only registered socialist party in Nigeria and indeed the only genuine opposition, we have stood firm as a moral and ideological alternative to the criminal conspiracy that other parties disguise as democracy.”

Sowore, who had previously contested for the presidency, is expected to run another campaign built around activism, anti-corruption, democratic reforms and social justice.

Adebayo Emerges SDP Presidential Candidate

Prince Adewole Adebayo emerged as the sole presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general election.

He was elected by delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory during the party’s 2026 national convention held at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Memorial Stadium in Bauchi.

Adebayo, an Ondo-born politician and lawyer, was adopted by the party after emerging as the only presidential aspirant.

In his acceptance speech, he said he joined the race to rescue Nigeria from its current challenges.

He described the state of the country as alarming, adding that Nigerians were facing hunger, homelessness, joblessness and insecurity.

“Nigerians are hungry and homeless. We are jobless. We are without peace. We are without leadership,” he said.

Adebayo’s emergence gives the SDP a familiar presidential candidate, as he had also flown the party’s flag in the 2023 election.

Sandy Onor Listed As Wike-backed PDP Candidate

Sandy Onor was listed as the presidential candidate of the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

His emergence came amid continuing divisions within the PDP structure ahead of the 2027 general election.

The party has faced internal realignments in several states, with factions loyal to different political leaders taking different positions on the presidential race.

The Wike-backed faction’s decision to field Onor is expected to further deepen conversations around the future of the PDP and its ability to present a united front in the coming election.

Peter Obi Expected To Be Affirmed By NDC

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is expected to affirm Peter Obi as its presidential candidate before the INEC deadline.

Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, is said to be the sole aspirant for the NDC presidential ticket.

His expected affirmation comes amid realignments within the opposition bloc, with several political figures seeking new platforms ahead of the 2027 election.

Obi’s movement into the NDC is expected to attract attention from his support base, particularly members of the Obidient Movement, who played a major role in his 2023 presidential campaign.

Makinde Declares For Presidency On APM Platform

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement.

The governor made the declaration at a rally held at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

His declaration followed political realignments in the state after the factionalisation of the PDP ahead of the 2027 general election.

Makinde had earlier led the Tanimu Turaki faction of the PDP in Oyo State to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the APM as part of a strategic alliance for the forthcoming polls.

Under the agreement, candidates of the PDP faction loyal to him and contesting governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats are expected to run on the platform of the APM rather than the PDP.

The arrangement is seen as one of the major signs of the deepening crisis in the PDP as politicians move to secure alternative platforms before the general election.

Olawepo-Hashim Moves To Accord Party

A former presidential candidate and 2027 presidential hopeful, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has also moved to the Accord Party and declared his intention to contest the presidential election on the party’s platform.

Olawepo-Hashim said more than one million supporters had been mobilised into the Accord Party as part of efforts to build a strong political movement ahead of the 2027 general election.

He said, “We have quietly mobilised about one million of our supporters into the Accord Party, and we are still doing so.”

He also dismissed reports suggesting that the Accord Party would not field a presidential candidate in 2027.

According to him, such reports were not true.

Olawepo-Hashim is one of the aspirants expected to be affirmed by his party before the Saturday deadline.

Naija News reports that the primaries have also triggered fresh defections and protests among politicians who accused their parties of unfair treatment.

Among those reported to have left their parties because of frustration over the conduct of primaries are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; and former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege.

Their exits came amid complaints over alleged manipulation, exclusion and non-compliance with party rules and provisions of the Electoral Act.

The development is expected to influence alignments and negotiations ahead of the campaign season, especially as aggrieved aspirants seek new platforms or alliances.

With the INEC deadline drawing close, political parties are now under pressure to conclude pending primaries, resolve disputes and submit the names of their candidates for the 2027 general election.

The coming days are also expected to determine the fate of aspirants waiting for affirmation in parties where consensus arrangements or sole candidacy have been adopted.

The outcomes of the primaries are likely to shape the next phase of political negotiation, coalition talks and litigation ahead of the 2027 general elections.