2027: Meet two women in race against Tinubu, Atiku, Obi

As President Bola Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi prepare for the 2027 presidential contest, two women will also be seeking to emerge as Nigeria’s next president.

They are Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori of the National Democratic Party, NDP, and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement, NRM.

The two women are the only female presidential candidates among the 18 candidates listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the January 16, 2027 election. The final list, signed by the commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, was published on September 12.

Ada Okwori

Okwori, 48, is the presidential candidate of the NDP and is from Benue State. She emerged as the party’s flag bearer through a consensus arrangement and will contest alongside her running mate, Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka, 48.

She is also the founder of the NDP.

One of the issues Okwori has highlighted is the participation of women in politics. She has proposed that women should occupy at least 40 per cent of positions in the party’s executive and candidate structures.

She has also proposed allocating 15 per cent of Nigeria’s national budget to education.

Nkem Okereke

Okereke, 43, is the presidential candidate of the NRM.

A former Nollywood actress who later ventured into politics, she emerged as the party’s presidential candidate at its convention in Abuja on May 29.

She will be contesting with 35-year-old Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman as her running mate.

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

Okereke has also identified education and electricity as areas requiring urgent attention.

Six women on presidential tickets

While only Okwori and Okereke are presidential candidates, four other women appear on the final list as running mates.

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

This means six women are listed across the presidential and vice-presidential positions on the 18 tickets released by INEC. Fourteen of the vice-presidential candidates are men.

The final list also reflects changes made by some parties during the electoral process.

The Young Progressives Party, for instance, replaced its former presidential candidate, Anita Zugwai-Chukwu, with Peter Agada after her withdrawal from the race in August. Patience Ndidi Key was subsequently listed as Agada’s running mate.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will take place on February 6.

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