Overview
- Formal campaigning opened on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, setting a Jan. 16, 2027 presidential and parliamentary vote and Feb. 6 gubernatorial elections.
- President Bola Tinubu is running for reelection and faces a fragmented opposition that analysts say could split the anti-incumbent vote and raise his reelection chances.
- Voter anger centers on sharp cost-of-living pain from Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy and naira devaluations that pleased investors but drove high inflation and lower household incomes.
- Security failures remain a top voter concern with reports of mass kidnappings and more than 10,000 conflict-related deaths since Tinubu took office, shaping campaign messaging on safety and survival.
- Tinubu has strengthened the All Progressives Congress at the state level through defections to the party, a shift that expands his grassroots reach and could influence turnout and local administration of the vote.