From Tinubu and Atiku to Obi, Onor, Sowore and Makinde: What have the presidential contenders done before seeking Nigeria’s top job?
By News Maker in Abuja
As Nigeria moves towards the 2027 presidential election, the contest is gradually shifting beyond party slogans and campaign promises to questions about the qualifications, professional backgrounds, political experience and previous public or private offices of the men and women seeking the country’s highest elective office.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the personal particulars and supporting credentials submitted by presidential candidates, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2026. The publication provides voters and other Nigerians with an opportunity to scrutinise the educational and professional records of those seeking the presidency.
Against this background, an examination of the records of some of the prominent and less prominent candidates presents a varied picture. Some have occupied major public offices, including the presidency, vice presidency, governorship and Senate, while others come largely from business, law, activism, academia or professional practice.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu – APC
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu enters the 2027 contest as the incumbent and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is seeking a second term after winning the 2023 presidential election.
According to the State House, Tinubu is a professional accountant and former senior executive of Mobil Oil Producing Nigeria, where he rose to become Treasurer. He subsequently entered politics and was elected Senator representing Lagos West in 1992 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party.
His political career took another major turn following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, when he became associated with the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which campaigned for the restoration of democracy.
With the return to civilian rule in 1999, Tinubu became Governor of Lagos State on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy and served two terms, from 1999 to 2007. His administration became associated with reforms in revenue generation, urban development and public administration.
He later became one of the political architects of the Action Congress of Nigeria and subsequently the coalition that produced the APC in 2013. In 2023, he won the presidency and became Nigeria’s 16th President. Academically, Tinubu submitted a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, obtained in 1979, as well as an NYSC record. INEC’s published documents reportedly did not contain entries for his primary and secondary education.
Key Experience: Accountant; Mobil Oil executive; Senator; Governor of Lagos State; political party leader; President of Nigeria.
Atiku Abubakar — ADC
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar brings perhaps one of the longest political resumes among the opposition contenders. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate has previously sought the presidency several times and served as Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007.
Before entering full-time politics, Atiku had a long career in the Nigeria Customs Service. He joined the service in 1969 and eventually rose to the position of Deputy Director before retiring in 1989. He subsequently entered the private sector and built a substantial business career. In his own account, he described his retirement from the Customs Service as occurring after almost two decades in public service.
Atiku entered elective politics in the early 1990s and contested the Social Democratic Party’s presidential primary in 1993. In 1998, he was elected Governor of Adamawa State but was selected by Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate before taking office as governor.
The Obasanjo-Atiku ticket won the 1999 presidential election, making Atiku Vice President. He was re-elected with Obasanjo in 2003 and remained one of the central figures in the politics of the Fourth Republic.
After leaving office in 2007, Atiku contested the presidency on several occasions, including the 2007, 2019 and 2023 elections. He also sought the PDP ticket in 2011 and 2023.
His credentials submitted for the 2027 election include a First School Leaving Certificate, West African School Certificate and a Master’s degree in International Relations from Anglia Ruskin University.
Key Experience: Customs officer; businessman; Governor-elect of Adamawa State; Vice President; presidential candidate in several elections.
Peter Gregory Obi — NDC
Peter Obi’s political profile combines private-sector experience with executive public office. The former Governor of Anambra State is contesting the 2027 presidency on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), after previously running for president under the Labour Party in 2023.
Obi began his career in business and banking before entering politics. Biographical records show that he worked in commerce and banking and held leadership positions in the private sector, including chairmanship of companies such as Fidelity Bank.
He contested the Anambra governorship election in 2003 under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Following a prolonged legal battle, he eventually assumed office as governor in March 2006.
His first tenure was interrupted by impeachment in November 2006, but he was later reinstated by the courts in February 2007. He was subsequently re-elected and served until 2014.
Obi later became the running mate to Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 presidential election on the PDP platform. In 2022, he moved to the Labour Party and became its 2023 presidential candidate, finishing third behind Tinubu and Atiku.
For the 2027 election, Obi is now the presidential candidate of the NDC. His EC9 record states that he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1984, after attending Christ the King College, Onitsha.
Key experience: Banker; businessman; Governor of Anambra State; vice-presidential candidate; presidential candidate.
Senator Sandy Ojang Onor — PDP
Sandy Ojang Onor represents a different type of presidential profile, combining academia with legislative and political experience.
Born in Ikom, Cross River State, Onor studied History at the University of Calabar, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently obtained a PhD in History from the same university.
He is an educationist and academic who rose to prominence in Cross River politics. His most significant elected public office so far was as Senator representing Cross River Central Senatorial District from 2019 to 2023.
As a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Onor also contested the Cross River State governorship election in 2023 before emerging as the PDP’s presidential candidate for 2027 following the departure of Atiku Abubakar and other leading figures from the party.
His profile therefore rests heavily on scholarship, teaching, public administration and legislative experience rather than previous executive leadership at the state or federal level.
Key Experience: Historian; university academic; educationist; Senator representing Cross River Central; governorship candidate; presidential candidate.
Omoyele Sowore — AAC
Omoyele Sowore offers perhaps one of the most distinctive backgrounds in the race. Rather than coming from conventional government or corporate leadership, his career has largely been built around journalism, activism, political advocacy and opposition to successive governments.
Sowore studied Geography and Regional Planning at the University of Lagos between 1989 and 1995. His studies were reportedly extended after his involvement in student activism and political struggles.
He subsequently became a journalist, activist and publisher. He founded Sahara Reporters, an online news organisation that became known for investigative reporting and criticism of government officials.
He later entered partisan politics and was instrumental in the establishment of the African Action Congress (AAC). He contested the 2019 presidential election and again ran in the 2023 presidential election.
For the 2027 contest, he is again the AAC presidential candidate. His credentials include a B.Sc. in Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Lagos and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University in the United States.
Unlike Tinubu, Atiku, Obi and Onor, Sowore has not previously occupied an elected executive government office. His public profile has instead been shaped by activism, journalism and political opposition.
Key Experience: Journalist; publisher; human-rights activist; political organiser; presidential candidate.
Donald Duke — PRP
Former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke brings executive state-government experience and a professional background in law and business to the 2027 race.
Duke studied law at Ahmadu Bello University, obtaining an LL.B. in 1982. He subsequently obtained his Barrister-at-Law qualification from the Nigerian Law School and an LL.M. in Business and Admiralty Law from the University of Pennsylvania.
Before becoming governor, Duke served as Commissioner for Finance and Planning in Cross River State between 1992 and 1993. His subsequent political career culminated in his election as Governor of Cross River State in 1999.
He served two terms as governor, from 1999 to 2007. His tenure was particularly associated with tourism, urban renewal, environmental initiatives and efforts to promote Cross River as a major tourism destination.
Duke later contested the Nigerian presidency in 2019 on the Social Democratic Party platform. He is now the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 election. INEC’s published credentials list his law degree from Ahmadu Bello University.
Key experience: Lawyer; Commissioner for Finance and Planning; Governor of Cross River State; businessman; presidential candidate.
Seyi Makinde — APM
Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde brings a combination of engineering, entrepreneurship and executive political experience to the 2027 presidential race.
Makinde studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Lagos and graduated in 1990. He subsequently undertook professional training in the United States, United Kingdom, Lagos and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His professional career began in the oil and gas sector. He worked with Shell Petroleum Development Company and later Rebold International Limited before establishing Makon Engineering and Technical Services Limited in 1997.
He eventually became Group Managing Director of Makon Group of Companies, an indigenous oil and gas business. His private-sector career therefore predates his political career by many years.
Makinde entered partisan politics and contested for the governorship of Oyo State before eventually winning the 2019 election. He was re-elected in 2023 and has remained Governor of Oyo State.
For 2027, he is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), according to the published list of candidates.
Key Experience: Electrical engineer; oil-and-gas executive; entrepreneur; Group Managing Director; Governor of Oyo State.
Adewole Adebayo — SDP
Prince Adewole Adebayo represents the legal, entrepreneurial and media side of the presidential field.
Adebayo studied law at Obafemi Awolowo University and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2000. He subsequently obtained further legal qualifications in the United States and has practised in several jurisdictions.
He began his legal career as a litigation lawyer before establishing his own law firm, Adewole Adebayo & Co., in 2002.
He has also developed business interests spanning areas including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and media.
Adebayo has also been involved in international public-service activities. His biography states that in 2006 he was appointed by the United Nations and ECOWAS as a Commissioner on Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Politically, he has been associated with the Social Democratic Party and contested the 2023 presidential election. He is again the SDP presidential candidate for 2027.
Unlike Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Duke and Makinde, Adebayo has not been a governor, senator, vice president or president. His public profile derives primarily from law, business, media, advocacy and international public-service assignments.
Key Experience xperience: Lawyer; entrepreneur; media proprietor; international legal practitioner; ECOWAS/UN-appointed commissioner; presidential candidate.
Sunday Chibuzor Okereke — LP
Sunday Chibuzor Okereke is one of the less traditionally established names in the presidential field, but his background is rooted in legislative work, public policy and political activism.
The Labour Party candidate has been described as a public-policy practitioner and former student leader. He has also worked within the National Assembly environment, where he has provided technical and professional support for legislative, oversight and representation activities.
His professional interests have included legislative drafting, parliamentary advocacy and policy development. He is associated with organisations and parliamentary networks dealing with issues including the World Bank, IMF, Israel Allies Caucus and Parliamentarians for Global Action.
Okereke has used the 2027 campaign to advocate electoral reforms and stronger anti-corruption mechanisms. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, he called for credible elections and improved communication between INEC and Nigerians.
His candidacy followed Peter Obi’s departure from the Labour Party and subsequent emergence as the NDC presidential candidate.
Unlike several of the better-known contenders, Okereke has not previously served as a governor, senator, vice president or president. His principal experience is in legislative support, public policy and political advocacy.
Key experience: Public-policy practitioner; legislative expert; former student leader; parliamentary/advocacy practitioner; presidential candidate.
Anita Zugwai-chukwu — YPP, an important update
Anita Zugwai-Chukwu was initially one of the notable names in the 2027 presidential race. The Young Progressives Party adopted her as its presidential candidate at its national convention in May 2026, making her one of the female presidential contenders in the race.
Her professional background includes entrepreneurship and women’s advocacy. She is associated with Zeemarite Events & Galleries and has also been described as a manager of the JONALFA Hope International Foundation. Her disclosed educational background includes studies at Abuja Polytechnic and California South University, where she obtained qualifications in Public Administration.
However, she should not now be described in a publication as the current YPP presidential candidate. In August 2026, the YPP announced that she had withdrawn from the race. The party subsequently conducted a replacement primary and selected Dr Peter Agada as its new presidential candidate, with Patience Ndidi-Key as his running mate.
Her case illustrates how rapidly the 2027 political field is evolving. Therefore, any newspaper article using an earlier list of candidates should be updated immediately before publication.
Key Experience: Entrepreneur; public-administration practitioner; women’s political advocate; former YPP presidential candidate — subsequently withdrawn.
What the Records Show
A review of the ten profiles reveals that the 2027 presidential contest brings together candidates with very different forms of experience.
Tinubu and Atiku possess the deepest experience at the federal level, having served as President and Vice President respectively, while Obi, Duke and Makinde have executive experience as governors. Onor brings a combination of academia and legislative service through his tenure in the Senate.
Sowore and Okereke represent a different strand of politics, with their profiles built more around activism, journalism, public policy and legislative advocacy. Adebayo combines legal practice, entrepreneurship, media and international public-service experience.
Educationally, the field is also diverse. Tinubu’s disclosed qualification is a B.Sc. in Business Administration; Atiku has a Master’s degree in International Relations; Obi holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy; Onor holds a PhD in History; Sowore holds degrees in Geography/Regional Planning and Public Administration; Duke holds legal qualifications; Makinde is an electrical engineer; and Adebayo is a lawyer.
The more important question for voters, however, may not simply be who possesses the highest qualification or longest résumé. The critical issue is what each candidate actually achieved in the offices or professions previously occupied, how those records compare with the responsibilities of the presidency, and whether the candidate has demonstrated the capacity to translate personal experience into effective national governance.
That distinction is particularly important because Nigeria’s presidency requires more than academic credentials. It demands administrative competence, economic understanding, security management, national political reach, constitutional knowledge, diplomatic capacity and the ability to manage a complex federation.
The 2027 election will therefore offer Nigerians a choice not merely among academic certificates and political titles, but among different records of public service, private enterprise, political organisation and leadership.
Sources and verification note.
For publication, the primary reference point should be INEC’s EC9 particulars, because those are the documents candidates formally submitted for the election. Contemporary reports confirming and reproducing the INEC information include Premium Times, Punch, The Guardian, The Nation and Channels Television.
Premium Times +2
A particularly important update is the YPP change: Anita Zugwai-Chukwu was initially nominated but withdrew; Peter Agada subsequently became the YPP candidate.
Punch Newspapers +1
