Meet two women on 2027 presidential ballot challenging Tinubu, Atiku, Obi

Ada Okwori and Esther Nkem Okereke

Only two of the 18 presidential candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the January 2027 election are women.

They are Ada Okwori of the National Democratic Party and Esther Nkem Okereke of the National Rescue Movement.

INEC published the final list on September 12, signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

They will face President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, among others.

The presidential and National Assembly elections hold on January 16, 2027.

Okwori, 48

Okwori, an Idoma from Benue State, founded the NDP and chairs it. Her running mate is Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka, also 48.

According to the party, INEC first rejected its registration. She went to court, and a Federal High Court directed the commission to register the party, which it did in March 2026.

She emerged as candidate through a consensus arrangement at the party’s primary. In an interview with Women News Today, she said the NDP would not be a platform for godfathers, and proposed a minimum of 40 per cent women in its executive and candidate lists. She also promised to allocate 15 per cent of the national budget to education.

Okereke, 43

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Okereke, a Nollywood actress turned politician, was chosen by consensus at the NRM convention in Abuja on May 29. Her party said she was the only aspirant who met all constitutional requirements. Her running mate is Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman, 35.

Her platform, the “ESTHER Agenda”, covers education, security, technology, housing, entrepreneurship and restitution.

She has promised emergency action in education and power supply. Speaking in Abuja on June 12, she said Nigeria’s democracy was “bleeding” amid poverty and insecurity.

In a July interview with TheCable Lifestyle, she said running her charity foundation without grants or support convinced her the system had to be fixed from the top. She added that she did not see women as marginalised, only “scared to come out”.

Women as running mates

Four women are on the list as vice-presidential candidates: Peace Egobia (APP), Nafisat Usaku (DLA), Hajja Bintu Konto (LP) and Patience Key (YPP).

Both women at the top of the tickets have male running mates. The six women make up 16.7 per cent of the 36-person presidential and vice-presidential field. Women’s groups have long demanded that at least 35 per cent of political and public positions go to women.

The YPP had earlier adopted Anita Zugwai-Chukwu as its presidential candidate on May 30, making her its first female standard-bearer. She withdrew in August, and the party said she did so voluntarily. It said it could not find another woman to replace her and picked Peter Agada, whose running mate is Key.