Only two women feature among the 18 presidential candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the January 2027 general elections.
They are Ada Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Esther Nkem Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
INEC released the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates on September 12 in a document signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony. The two women will go up against President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and 13 other male candidates.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Ada Okwori, 48
An Idoma from Benue State, Okwori founded the National Democratic Party and serves as its national chairperson. Her running mate is Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka, also 48.
The party said INEC initially refused its registration, prompting Okwori to approach the courts. A Federal High Court later ordered the commission to register the party, which was done in March 2026. Okwori emerged as the NDP’s presidential candidate through consensus at the party’s primary.
In an interview with Women NewsToday, she declared that the NDP would not become a platform for political godfathers. She proposed that women should hold at least 40 per cent of the party’s executive positions and candidate slots, and pledged to allocate 15 per cent of the national budget to education if elected.
Esther Nkem Okereke, 43
A former Nollywood actress, Okereke was chosen as the NRM’s presidential candidate by consensus at the party’s convention in Abuja on May 29. The party said she was the only aspirant who met all constitutional requirements. Her running mate is Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman, 35.
Her campaign platform, branded the “ESTHER Agenda,” prioritises education, security, technology, housing, entrepreneurship and restitution. She has promised emergency intervention in the education sector and measures to tackle power supply challenges.
Speaking in Abuja on June 12, Okereke described Nigeria’s democracy as “bleeding” under the weight of poverty and insecurity. In a July interview with TheCable Lifestyle, she said running her charity foundation without grants or external support convinced her that the country’s problems must be fixed from the top. She added that she does not believe women are marginalised, but that many are simply “scared to come out.”
