Nigerian general election, 2019

Nigerian presidential election, 2019

16 February 2019

President before election Muhammadu Buhari All Progressive Congress Elected President TBD

General elections will be held in Nigeria on 16 February 2019 to elect the President and the National Assembly.^[1][2] They will be the sixth quadrennial elections since the end of military rule in 1999. Presidential primaries are likely to be held during the last six months of 2018.

Barring any major change in circumstances, Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in 2015, will be eligible to seek re-election. The winner is scheduled to be inaugurated on 29 May 2019.

Electoral system

The President of Nigeria is elected using the two-round system, with a candidate needing over 50% of the national vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of states to be elected in the first round.^[3] The 360 members of the House of Representatives are elected using first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies,^[4] whilst the 109 members of the Senate are elected from 36 three-seat constituencies based on the States and one single-member constituency based on the Federal Capital Territory, all by first-past-the-post voting.^[5]

Declared presidential candidates

Incumbent Muhammadu Buhari is seeking re-election on the platform of the APC.

• Atiku Abubakar, former vice president is the PDP Presidential Candidate.^[6]

• Muhammadu Buhari, incumbent president.^[7]

• Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross Rivers State is the presidential candidate of the SDP.^[8]
• Fela Durotoye, member of Alliance for New Nigeria.^[9]
• Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and leader of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign.^[10]
• Tope Fasua, founder and National Chairman of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party.^[11]
• Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State.^[12]
• Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State.^[13]
• Ahmed Makarfi, former chairman of the People's Democratic Party National Caretaker Committee.^[11]
• Kingsley Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the CBN and Professor of Practice at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy^[14]
• Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Kwara State and incumbent President of the Senate.^[15]
• Remi Sonaiya, member of the KOWA Party and former university lecturer.^[16]
• Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner and publisher of news website, Sahara Reporters^[17]
• Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, former Minister of Special Duties.^[11]

References