Only two women are among the 18 presidential candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest the January 2027 presidential election.

They are Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

INEC published the final list on September 12 in a document signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony. The list contains 16 male and two female presidential candidates, meaning women account for 11.1 per cent of the presidential field.

The 2027 presidential race also includes incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement, Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress and former Cross River State governor Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, among others.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, following INEC’s revised timetable.

Ada Okwori

Ada Okwori, 48, is the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party. INEC’s final list identifies her as the party’s presidential candidate, with Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka, also 48, as her running mate.

Okwori, an Idoma from Benue State, founded the NDP and serves as its chairperson.

According to information provided by the party, its registration process faced an initial rejection by INEC before the party went to court. A Federal High Court subsequently directed the electoral commission to register the party, with the NDP saying the registration was completed in March 2026.

Okwori emerged as the party’s presidential candidate through a consensus arrangement at its primary.

In an interview with Women News Today, she said the NDP would not operate as a platform for political godfathers. She also proposed that women should occupy at least 40 per cent of executive and candidate positions within the party.

Among the policies she has publicly discussed is a proposal to allocate 15 per cent of the national budget to education.

Nkem Esther Okereke

The second female candidate, Nkem Esther Okereke, 43, is representing the National Rescue Movement. INEC lists Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman, 35, as her running mate.

Okereke, a Nollywood actress who later entered politics, was selected through a consensus arrangement at the NRM convention in Abuja on May 29.

Her campaign platform, known as the “ESTHER Agenda,” focuses on areas including education, security, technology, housing, entrepreneurship and restitution.

She has also spoken about what she described as the need for emergency intervention in education and electricity.

During an appearance in Abuja on June 12, Okereke described Nigeria’s democracy as being under pressure amid poverty and insecurity.

In a July interview with TheCable Lifestyle, she said her experience running a charity foundation without grants or external support convinced her that changes were needed at the highest level.

She also said she did not view women as marginalised, but described many women as being “scared to come out” and participate in politics.

Four women listed as running mates

While only two women are presidential candidates, four women appear among the 18 vice-presidential candidates.

They are Peace Egobia Ofordile of the Allied Peoples Party, Nafisat Usaku Abubakar of the Democratic Labour Alliance, Hajja Bintu Konto of the Labour Party and Patience Ndidi Key of the Young Progressive Party.

Both female presidential candidates have male running mates.

This means women account for six of the 36 people listed on the 18 presidential tickets, comprising two presidential candidates and four vice-presidential candidates.

YPP changes presidential candidate

The Young Progressive Party (YPP) had earlier selected Anita Zugwai-Chukwu as its presidential candidate at its May 30 primary, which would have made her the party’s first female presidential standard-bearer.

However, she withdrew from the race in August. The party subsequently selected Peter Ada Agada, whose running mate is Patience Ndidi Key.

The final INEC list therefore contains only two women contesting for president.

The 2027 election will consequently feature 18 presidential candidates from 18 political parties, with the final list showing a significant gender gap in the presidential field.