About sixteen political parties have concluded their presidential primaries and have also chosen their candidates ahead of the election slated for February next year. The candidates have also pledged to right the wrongs in government by returning the country to true democracy. Below are the parties and the candidates.
Omoyele Sowore- AAC
Omoyele Sowore is the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC). He emerged the candidate of the party unopposed. Sowore, who is the publisher of Sahara Reporters, emerged after stepping down as the national chairman of AAC, a position he recently earned after a court judgment. He was also the presidential candidate of the party in the 2019 general election. He is a human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner.
Dumebi Kachikwu- ADC
Dumebi Kachikwu, founder of Roots Television, won the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He floored Kingsley Moghalu, former presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), and Chukwuka Monye to win the ticket. Kachikwu is the younger brother of Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.
Sanni Yabagi- ADP
Yabaji Sani is the presidential candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) after emerging as the party’s consensus candidate at the party’s special national convention in Abuja. Yabagi is the chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and also the national chairman of the ADP. He was also the presidential candidate of the party in the 2019 presidential election. Known mostly as (YYSanior Jakardan Nupe) meaning Ambassador of Nupe, born 1 July 1957, he is an energy and crude oil expert.
Christopher Imumolen- AP
Imumolen is the presidential candidate of Accord Party (AP), for the 2023 presidential election. The 39-year-old presidential candidate had won the primary by voice vote, having emerged as the sole aspirant for the party’s ticket after his co-contenders stepped down. Imumolen is an indigene of Esan West, Ekpoma in Edo State. Imumolen is the Addo of Abaji, an educationist, a university professor, a serial entrepreneur, a business mogul. He is the founder of Joint Professional Training and Support International Limited and UNIC Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation.
Bola Tinubu- APC
Bola Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State and national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), won the presidential ticket after getting half of the votes in a keenly contested primary last Wednesady. Tinubu, a trained accountant, fondly called Asiwaju of Lagos, and Jagaban, was born in Osun State, South West Nigeria. He attended St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos and Children’s Home School in Ibadan, Nigeria. He also went to the United States to study at the phenomenal Richard J. Dailey College in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 23.
Tinubu’s political career in Nigeria began in 1992, when he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and was also elected as a senator, where he represented Lagos West Senatorial constituency.
Peter Umeadi- APGA
Renowned professor of law, Peter Umeadi, emerged All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) presidential candidate, unopposed. His candidacy was affirmed by national delegates at a special convention, attended by factional party leaders and members drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country at the Katampe-Abuja national headquarters of the party. Umeadi, professor of law at the University of Nigeria, joined the party in his Nri Ward II in Anaocha area of Anambra following his retirement as the Chief Judge of the state in March 2019. He had explained that his decision to join partisan politics was to keep his brain active, saying those who retire and go to sleep end up having their brain asleep.
Sunday Adenuga- BP
Samuel Adenuga clinched the presidential ticket of Boot Party (BP) for the 2023 general election after emerging unopposed at the primary. The party’s primaries committee chairman, Usman Mustapher Turaki said the process was first of its kind in Nigeria. Adenuga is a business man from Ogun State.
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Peter Obi- LP
Peter Obi emerged presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) after Pat Utomi and one other aspirant stepped down for him. Obi was a former governor of Anambra State from 2007-2014.
He was also the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, who was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in 2019 general elections. Obi is a businessman, who attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 1980-1984. His mantra is to take Nigeria back for Nigerians. He believes that the Nigerian people have been denied of their country by certain clique, and he wishes to end the oppression.
Rabiu Kwankwaso- NNPP
Rabi’u Kwankwaso is the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate for the 2019 general election. He was elected at the party’s special national convention scheduled for June 8 in Abuja just to confirm Kwankwaso. He was unanimously picked by NNPP’s 774 party delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), through a voice vote. He once served as a Defence Minister. Kwankwaso was the governor of Kano State from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015.
The former governor recently dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the NNPP.
Okwudili Nwa-Anyajike- NRM
Okwudili Nwa-Anyajike is the presidential candidate of National Rescue Mission (NRM). Nwa-Anyajike, a businessman, polled 180 votes to defeat his closest rival, Benedicta Egbo, who scored 30 votes at the party’s special convention. He promised to unite the country and provide infrastructural development if elected president of Nigeria.
Atiku Abubakar – PDP
Atiku Abubakar emerged the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in a keenly contested primary held at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. It was the second consecutive time he would be the flag bearer of the PDP, after being the presidential candidate of the party in the 2019 general elections. Atiku is a businessman and was born on 25 Novermber, 1946. Atiku was vice president of Nigeria from 1999-2007 in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
Kola Abiola- PRP
Kola Abiola is the presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP). Abiola had polled 1,970 votes in total to clinch the party’s ticket, defeating a former House of Representatives member, Usman Bugaje and other contestants. Abiola is the first child of the late Moshood (MKO) Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled presidential election. He is a businessman and politician.
Adewole Adebayo- SDP
Adewole Adebayo was elected presidential flag bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2023 general election in a keenly contested primary.
Adebayo polled 1,546 votes to defeat his closest rival Kadijah Okunnu-Lamidi who polled 83 votes.
He is a Nigerian lawyer and founder of KAFTAN Television. He promised to run an all-inclusive government, and attract the best brains in various spheres of human endeavours to make the country great again.
Malik Addo-Ibrahim- YPP
Malik Addo-Ibrahim is the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the 2023 presidential election, after defeating three other aspirants in the primary. He is a renowned civil rights activist and founder of the Reset Nigeria Initiative.
He appreciated the party delegates for voting for him and vowed to turn around the country if voted into power.
Dan Nwanyanwu – ZLP
Dan Nwanyanwu emerged as the consensus presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). The party has also recently changed its name from ZLP to Zenith Progressives Alliance (ZPA). He is also the national chairman of party. Nwanyawu is a popular politician and businessman.
Hamza Al-Mustapha – AA
Hamza Al-Mustapha emerged the presidential candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) for the 2023 general election after defeating one aspirant in the primary. He contested the presidential primary with Samson Odupitan, following the withdrawal of Felix Osakwe and Tunde Kelani, who pledged their support for Al-Mustapha. Al-Mustapha born 27 July 1960, is a former Nigerian Army major and intelligent officer who served as chief security officer to the late Sani Abacha, who was Nigeria’s military head of state from 1993 until his sudden death on June 8, 1998.
