The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of 17 governorship candidates for the 2027 Lagos State election, formally setting out the political parties and contenders preparing to challenge for the state’s top office.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, includes incumbent Deputy Governor Kadri Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Adedeji Olugbemiga Doherty and African Democratic Congress (ADC) flagbearer Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
The candidates represent 17 political parties and are listed alongside their deputy governorship running mates, ages, gender and educational qualifications. The document is available on INEC’s official website.
Hamzat, Doherty and Rhodes-Vivour Among Key Names
Hamzat, 62, is the APC candidate and currently serves as Lagos deputy governor. His appearance on the list puts him among the contenders seeking to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Doherty, 64, will represent the PDP, while Rhodes-Vivour, 43, is contesting under the ADC. Rhodes-Vivour previously ran for governor in 2023 under the Labour Party.
The list also features Olufunso Adeshina Doherty, 58, of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). He is a different candidate from Adedeji Olugbemiga Doherty of the PDP.
Full List of Lagos Governorship Candidates for 2027
INEC’s final list names the following candidates and their political parties:
- Otitoloju Robert Sowore, 58 — Accord (A)
- Kamarudeen Salawu, 47 — Action Alliance (AA)
- Oluwadamola Adesoca Sol-Nuyi, 55 — African Action Congress (AAC)
- Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, 43 — African Democratic Congress (ADC)
- Nasir Adewale Bolaji, 73 — Action Democratic Party (ADP)
- Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, 62 — All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Adelaja Azeez Adeoye, 45 — Allied Peoples Movement (APM)
- Abiola Adeyemi, 49 — Action Peoples Party (APP)
- Oluwapemilerin Olurotimi Odunaike, 49 — Labour Party (LP)
- Olufunso Adeshina Doherty, 58 — Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
- Obadia Akinola, 56 — National Democratic Party (NDP)
- Ademoyegun Taiwo Onifade, 62 — New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)
- Ademola Joseph Onigbokun, 53 — National Rescue Movement (NRM)
- Adedeji Olugbemiga Doherty, 64 — Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Olufemi Olaniyi, 52 — Social Democratic Party (SDP)
- Temitope Elijah Taiwo, 46 — Young Progressives Party (YPP)
- Helen Ojotule Peter, 36 — Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
The names, party affiliations and ages are drawn from INEC’s published list.
Two Women Make the Governorship List
The list highlights a gender imbalance among those seeking the Lagos governorship. Only two of the 17 candidates are women: Abiola Adeyemi of the APP, aged 49, and Helen Ojotule Peter of the ZLP, aged 36. The other 15 candidates are listed as male.
Peter is the youngest candidate on the list, while Bolaji Nasir Adewale of the ADP, aged 73, is the oldest. Their ages span a 37-year difference among the candidates.
The deputy governorship list, however, includes women from several parties. These include Damilola Sonayon of the APC, Adelaja Adenuga of the APM, Moriam Tolani Anmashaun of the NDC and Khadijat Abike Bello of the PDP.
The figures offer a snapshot of representation in the current list, although they do not by themselves explain why fewer women secured governorship nominations.
Educational Qualifications Range From Secondary Certificates to Degrees
INEC’s document also records the candidates’ educational qualifications. These range from primary-school and secondary-school certificates to university degrees and postgraduate or professional qualifications.
The publication provides voters with a formal reference for comparing the information submitted for each candidate. The list itself does not assess the candidates’ policy positions, governing experience or proposed plans for Lagos State.
Voters will need to consider those issues alongside the candidates’ records, manifestos and ability to address the state’s challenges, including transportation, housing, public safety, jobs, education and the cost of living.
Lagos 2027: What Happens Next?
With the final list published, attention shifts towards the campaigns, party organisation and efforts by the candidates to convince Lagos voters that they can lead Nigeria’s commercial hub.
INEC’s official election calendar schedules the Lagos governorship election for Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The list establishes the candidates officially published by the commission, but it does not determine who will win. The eventual outcome will depend on the campaign, voter participation and the conduct of the election.
For Lagos residents, the next important question is what each candidate proposes to do differently—and how those promises will translate into better public services, economic opportunities and accountable government.
WeGoTalk takeaway: INEC has listed 17 candidates for the Lagos governorship race, led among the headline names by Hamzat, PDP’s Doherty and Rhodes-Vivour. The contest now moves towards the campaign, where voters will have to weigh the candidates’ plans against the realities facing the state.
