Party Primaries 2027: Who Won Each Ticket (APC, ADC, NDC, PDP and More)

October 18, 2026

4 Views 0

2027 party primaries results in Nigeria: who won the APC, ADC, NDC, PDP and other presidential tickets

Nigeria’s political parties chose their candidates for the 2027 elections between 23 April and 30 May 2026, the window INEC set for party primaries. Some held huge member votes, while others named a single candidate by consensus. A few parties ended up with two rival candidates, and some tickets changed after the primaries ended. By the time INEC published its final list on 12 September 2026, 18 presidential candidates remained.

This guide sets out who won each presidential ticket, how they won it, the vote counts where parties published them, and what has changed since. It also covers the Supreme Court ruling on party membership registers that has knocked several governorship candidates off INEC’s list. For the full election picture, including dates and voter numbers, see our 2027 Nigeria Election Hub.

Last updated: 18 October 2026. Court cases on several nominations are still running, so check INEC for the official position.

The short answer

APC: President Bola Tinubu won a direct primary with 10,999,967 votes against 16,504 for his only challenger, Stanley Osifo.
ADC: Atiku Abubakar won with 1,846,370 votes, ahead of Rotimi Amaechi (504,117) and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen (177,120). Amaechi is now his running mate.
NDC: Peter Obi was ratified as candidate after leaving the ADC in May, and picked Rabiu Kwankwaso as running mate.
PDP: two factions named rival candidates. INEC accepted Sandy Onor, the consensus pick of the Wike-backed faction, and rejected Goodluck Jonathan’s nomination from the Turaki-led faction.
Others: Oyo governor Seyi Makinde (APM), Donald Duke (PRP), Omoyele Sowore (AAC), Adewole Adebayo (SDP) and Chibuzo Okereke (LP) also won tickets. The full list of 18 is below.

The rules for the 2027 primaries

The primaries were the first held under the Electoral Act 2026, which President Tinubu signed on 18 February 2026. Three rules shaped what happened:

Direct primaries or consensus only. Parties could choose candidates through a direct primary, where all registered members vote, or by consensus. The old delegate-based indirect primary is no longer allowed.
Membership registers come first. Section 77(5) requires each party to submit its membership register to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, and only members on that register may take part. Under section 77(7), a party that misses the deadline cannot field a candidate. INEC’s timetable set 21 April to 10 May 2026 for submitting registers.
Fixed deadlines. Primaries, including dispute resolution, had to be completed between 23 April and 30 May 2026. Presidential and National Assembly nomination forms were due between 27 June and 11 July 2026.

Timeline of Nigeria 2027 party primaries from April to September 2026: APC, ADC, NDC, PDP, PRP and the INEC final list of 18 presidential candidates — From the opening of the primaries window to INEC’s final list of presidential candidates.

APC: Tinubu wins a direct primary

The All Progressives Congress held a direct presidential primary across all 8,809 wards in the country on 23 May 2026. Results were collated in Abuja and announced the next day by former Senate President Pius Anyim, the returning officer. President Tinubu polled 10,999,967 votes. His only challenger, businessman Stanley Osifo, received 16,504.

The result was never in much doubt: no major APC figure ran against a sitting president. Tinubu kept Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

ADC: Atiku beats Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen

The African Democratic Congress became the main home of the opposition coalition in 2025, and its primary was the most competitive of the major parties. Out of about 3.1 million members on its register, the party said 2,527,977 took part in a nationwide vote. Results declared in Abuja on 27 May 2026 were:

Atiku Abubakar: 1,846,370 votes
Rotimi Amaechi: 504,117 votes
Mohammed Hayatu-Deen: 177,120 votes

Atiku, the former vice president, has sought the presidency several times before and was the PDP candidate in 2019 and 2023. After his win he appealed to his rivals to work with him, and he later named Amaechi, the former Rivers State governor and transport minister, as his running mate. At 79, Atiku is the oldest candidate on the final list.

2027 presidential primary vote counts: APC Tinubu 10,999,967; ADC Atiku 1,846,370, Amaechi 504,117, Hayatu-Deen 177,120; PRP Donald Duke 6,499 — Vote counts from the APC, ADC and PRP presidential primaries.

NDC: Obi leaves the ADC and teams up with Kwankwaso

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party candidate, had joined the ADC coalition, but on 3 May 2026 he announced he was leaving. He blamed “endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division”, while saying he had not been mistreated by party chairman David Mark or by Atiku. Obi and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso then joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The NDC endorsed Obi as its presidential candidate at a special national convention in Abuja at the end of May, where the ticket was ratified on a motion by Senator Victor Umeh. Obi named Kwankwaso as his running mate, bringing together two men who, running separately in 2023, won about 32% of the presidential vote between them (Obi about 25% and Kwankwaso about 6%).

PDP: two factions, two candidates, one name on the ballot

The Peoples Democratic Party, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, entered the primaries split into rival factions. Each named its own presidential candidate:

The faction aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike announced former Cross River senator Sandy Ojang Onor as its consensus candidate on 26 May 2026, after what it called consultations and voice votes across the states. Onor was the only aspirant to buy its nomination form, and INEC commissioners monitored the exercise at the party’s secretariat.
The faction led by Kabiru Turaki named former President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate on 30 May 2026.

The dispute was settled, for now, by INEC’s nomination process. On 1 August 2026, INEC rejected the Jonathan nomination form that the Turaki faction delivered by hand, saying nominations could only be submitted through its online portal. The Turaki faction says INEC refused to give it the access codes for the portal and has gone to court. Sandy Onor, with Umaru Babangida as running mate, is the PDP name on INEC’s final list.

APM: Makinde affirmed in Ibadan

Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde left the PDP and was affirmed as the consensus presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) at a primary in Ibadan on 30 May 2026, monitored by INEC officials. Six Oyo members of the House of Representatives loyal to him also moved to the APM. His running mate is Musa Lawal Daura.

PRP: Donald Duke wins, but faces a challenge

Former Cross River governor Donald Duke joined the Peoples Redemption Party shortly before its presidential primary and won it with 6,499 votes, ahead of Kingsley Yakubu (2,699) and Nnaoke Ufere (784). The result was declared at the PRP secretariat in Abuja on 26 May 2026.

Yakubu has gone to court, arguing that Duke was not on the membership register the party submitted to INEC before the primary. That argument gained weight after the Supreme Court’s September ruling on membership registers (see below), but as of mid-October no court had removed Duke, and he is on INEC’s final list.

The other presidential tickets

AAC: activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore was endorsed unanimously as consensus candidate at the African Action Congress primary in late May, and stepped down as the party’s national chairman.
SDP: Adewole Adebayo, the party’s 2023 candidate, was affirmed as sole and consensus candidate by delegates from all 36 states and the FCT at a convention in Bauchi in early May, one of the earliest primaries.
Labour Party: after months of uncertainty over its leadership, the Nenadi Usman-led LP presented Dr Chibuzo Okereke, a legislative governance consultant and lecturer, as its consensus candidate on 30 May 2026.
NRM: Nkem Esther Okereke won the National Rescue Movement ticket at a convention in Abuja on 29 May. She is one of two women on the final list.
NDP: the National Democratic Party named Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori by consensus on 1 June, two days after the window closed, which raised questions about its eligibility. She is nonetheless on INEC’s final list, the second woman among the 18.
YPP: Anita Zugwai-Chukwu won the Young Progressives Party ticket on 30 May but withdrew in August, citing her family’s concerns about security. A substitution primary on 21 August picked Peter Agada.
ADP, AA and BP: the Action Democratic Party named Abbas-Bin Aliyu at its national convention, Action Alliance nominated Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje, and Boot Party candidate Sunday Adenuga was returned unopposed.
APP, DLA and ZLP: Yusuf Kabiru (Action Peoples Party), Moses Olusoji Adebisi (Democratic Labour Alliance) and Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu (Zenith Labour Party) complete the list.

All 18 presidential tickets on INEC’s final list

Party	Presidential candidate	Running mate	How chosen
APC	Bola Ahmed Tinubu	Kashim Shettima	Direct primary, 10,999,967 votes
ADC	Atiku Abubakar	Rotimi Amaechi	Member vote, 1,846,370 votes
NDC	Peter Obi	Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso	Ratified at special convention
PDP	Sandy Ojang Onor	Umaru Babangida	Consensus (Wike-backed faction)
APM	Oluseyi Makinde	Musa Lawal Daura	Consensus, Ibadan
PRP	Donald Duke	Rabiu Kabiru	Primary, 6,499 votes
AAC	Omoyele Sowore	Haruna Garba Magashi	Consensus
SDP	Adewole Adebayo	Usman Bugaje	Consensus, Bauchi
LP	Sunday Chibuzo Okereke	Bintu Konto	Consensus
NRM	Nkem Esther Okereke	Sulaiman Nasir Muhammed	Convention, Abuja
NDP	Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori	Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka	Consensus
YPP	Peter Agada	Patience Key	Substitution primary, 21 Aug
ADP	Abbas-Bin Aliyu	Ike Chinazam	National convention
AA	Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje	Shehu Hussaini	Nomination
BP	Sunday Adenuga	Mustapha Usman Turaki	Unopposed
APP	Yusuf Kabiru	Peace Egobia	Party selection
DLA	Moses Olusoji Adebisi	Nafisat Usaku Abubakar	Party selection
ZLP	Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu	Hassan Khalid	Party selection

Source: INEC final list of presidential candidates, 12 September 2026, and party announcements. “Party selection” means the method was not widely reported.

What changed between the primaries and the final list

The primaries were only the first step. Nominations, withdrawals and court cases changed several tickets over the summer.

What changed between Nigeria 2027 party primaries and INEC final candidate list: Jonathan nomination rejected, Accord Hashim excluded, YPP substitution, parties with no candidate — Five ways the presidential field changed after the primaries ended.

Jonathan out. INEC rejected the Turaki faction’s hand-delivered nomination of Goodluck Jonathan, leaving Sandy Onor as the PDP candidate.
Accord’s candidate missing. Gbenga Hashim says he won Accord’s primary but was left off the final list. He says a Federal High Court case asking the party to transmit his name has been heard and is awaiting judgment.
A YPP substitution. Peter Agada replaced Anita Zugwai-Chukwu after her withdrawal.
Parties without candidates. INEC said on 6 October 2026 that Accord, APGA and the Youth Party nominated no presidential candidate, and the NNPP withdrew its nominee during the substitution window.

The Supreme Court ruling on membership registers

The biggest twist came after the presidential list was published. In INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, decided on 24 September 2026, a seven-member Supreme Court panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro upheld sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. The Court of Appeal had struck those sections down in July. The Supreme Court restored them and ruled that a party which did not submit its membership register on time cannot sponsor candidates.

INEC says the presidential and National Assembly lists, published on 12 September, were not affected because they came out before the judgment. The governorship list was different. When INEC published its final list of governorship candidates on 10 October 2026, several prominent opposition candidates were missing, including:

Isa Ali Pantami (PDP, Gombe), the former communications minister, who won a fresh PDP primary after a court nullified the first one.
Ladi Adebutu (PDP, Ogun).
Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo (NDC, Kano).
Danjuma Laah (Kaduna) and four candidates in Bauchi State from the SDP, NNPP, AA and Accord.

INEC said on 13 October that it left out candidates of parties that had not complied with section 77. The affected parties dispute this. Under section 32(2) of the Act, parties that believe a candidate was wrongly omitted have until 24 October 2026 to notify INEC, and the courts can still decide individual cases. Other nominations questioned in the press include APC’s Rivers governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda and NDC’s Delta Central Senate candidate Ovie Omo-Agege, though no court had removed them as of mid-October.

For the state-by-state governorship names, see our report on INEC’s final list of governorship candidates, and our list of Nigerian governors for who holds each state now.

What the primaries tell us about 2027

The opposition is split three ways. Atiku (ADC), Obi and Kwankwaso (NDC) and Makinde (APM) are all drawing on voters who opposed the APC in 2023. Whether they can cooperate, or whether they divide the opposition vote, is one of the big questions of the campaign.
The PDP has shrunk. The party that ran Nigeria for 16 years fielded a former senator with a lower national profile, after many of its leading figures left or split off.
Membership rules now matter. The Supreme Court ruling means late defections and last-minute waivers carry real legal risk. Expect more court cases before polling day.
Few women. Only two of the 18 presidential candidates are women, and 443 of the 4,408 National Assembly candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the APC presidential primary for 2027?

President Bola Tinubu, with 10,999,967 votes in a direct primary across 8,809 wards. His only challenger, Stanley Osifo, got 16,504 votes.

Who won the ADC presidential primary?

Atiku Abubakar, with 1,846,370 votes. Rotimi Amaechi was second with 504,117, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen third with 177,120.

Which party is Peter Obi running with in 2027?

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). He left the ADC in May 2026 and his running mate is Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Who is the PDP presidential candidate for 2027?

Sandy Ojang Onor, a former senator from Cross River State, with Umaru Babangida as running mate. INEC rejected a rival nomination of Goodluck Jonathan by another PDP faction.

Is Goodluck Jonathan contesting in 2027?

Not on INEC’s final list. A PDP faction named him as its candidate, but INEC rejected the nomination because it was not filed through the online portal. The faction has gone to court.

How many presidential candidates are there for 2027?

Eighteen, on INEC’s final list published on 12 September 2026. Two are women.

Can the list of candidates still change?

Yes. Courts can still rule on disputed nominations, and parties have until 24 October 2026 to challenge omissions from the governorship list.

Bottom line

The 2027 primaries produced a crowded field: a sitting president with an overwhelming party mandate, a divided opposition led by Atiku, Obi and Makinde, and a weakened PDP. The Supreme Court’s ruling on membership registers means the fight over who is on the ballot is not over, especially at governorship level. To follow every remaining date, keep our 2027 election deadlines page handy, and when the day comes, read our guides on how to vote and how BVAS and IReV work.