The Electoral Commission of Nigeria, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates contesting for the presidency in the 2023 general elections.
In a list published, INEC noted that 18 parties had fielded presidential candidates and their running mates.
The list includes the names of the 75-year-old veteran presidential contestant and former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party, and former Lagos governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu, 70, of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
It also includes the 60-year-old former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who is seen as a third force.
Election campaigns officially begin next week on Wednesday.
The next Nigerian president faces a daunting and onerous task of rampant insecurity, chronic unemployment, and a worsening economic outlook, among issues the candidates are expected to address.
Nigeria has a population of more than 200 million people, out of which more than 95 million voters have registered to participate in the coming election.