GLADIATORS: Meet The 23 APC Presidential Hopefuls

Twenty-three aspirants are expected to participate in the special convention to elect the presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 general elections.

This comes amid drama and controversy over the call for a consensus candidate and the zoning of the party’s ticket to the South.

At the end of the exercise, one of the 23 aspirants is expected to emerge as the party’s flagbearer to contest the presidential election in the forthcoming polls.

Read the brief profile of the aspirants below:

Yemi Osinbajo (Ogun)

Osinbajo, 65, a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is the incumbent Vice President, a position he has held since May 2015.

He also served as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State between 1999 and 2007.

Ahmad Lawan (Yobe)

Lawan, 63, is the President of the 9th Senate and represents Yobe North senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Before his election into the Senate in 2007, he had represented Bade/Jakusko Constituency in the House of Representatives since 1999.

Bola Tinubu (Lagos)

Tinubu, 70, is a two-term governor of Lagos State who held office between 1999 and 2007. He was also the senator for Lagos West during the brief Third Republic.

Since his exit from office in 2007, he has been actively participating in politics, including the creation of parties long side other critical political actors in the country.

Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti)

Fayemi, 57, is the incumbent governor of Ekiti State and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

He previously served as governor between 2010 and 2014, as well as Minister of Solid Minerals Development from 2015 to 2018, when he resigned to contest for a second time as Governor of Ekiti State.

Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom)

Akpabio, 59, is the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs who recently resigned to pursue his presidential aspiration.

Before joining President Buhari’s cabinet, he was a two-term governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015, and a former Senate Minority Leader.

Dimeji Bankole (Ogun)

Bankole, 52, is the youngest Speaker of the House of Representatives who held office between 2003 and 2011, elected at the age of 37.

In 2019, he contested the Ogun State governorship election on the platform of the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

Tein Jack-Rich (Rivers)

Jack-Rich, 48, is an oil magnate who hails from Rivers State in the south-southern part of the country.

He is a multidimensional strategic thinker, a motivator, and a strong believer in the greater Nigeria.

Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa)

Badaru, 59, is the fourth democratically elected and incumbent governor of Jigawa State who has been in office since 2015.

At the national level, he serves as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fertiliser, as well as that of the Presidential Committee on Non-oil Revenue.

Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun)

Amosun, 64, is a former governor of Ogun State who served from 2011 to 2019, and was a two-term senator, after an unsuccessful bid in April 2007.

He first served as an elected senator for Ogun Central district from April 2003 to April 2007 and was re-elected in 2019.

Rochas Okorocha (Imo)

Okorocha, 59, is the incumbent lawmaker representing Imo West senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Before his election in 2019, Senator Okorocha served two terms as governor of Imo State between 2011 and 2019.

Tunde Bakare (Ogun)

Bakare, 67, is a popular pastor and Serving Overseer of Global Citadel Community Church (CGCC).

He was the vice-presidential candidate and running mate of President Buhari in the 2011 presidential elections.

Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)

Amaechi, 57, served as the Minister of Transportation up until May 2022 when he resigned to contest for the presidency.

Before he joined the President’s cabinet in 2015, he was the governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, and Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007.

Emeka Nwajiuba (Imo)

Nwajiuba, 54, is a politician and lawyer, as well as the immediate past Minister of State for Education, a position he held until resigned after declaring to contest for presidency.

He had previously served as the Chairman of TETFund Board of Trustees.

Nicholas Felix (Edo)

Felix, 40, is a US-based Nigerian pastor of the Miracle Church International who is aspiring to be president on the APC platform.

It is his second attempt to occupy the highest office in the land, having come third behind President Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 presidential election.

Uju Ken-Ohanenye (Anambra)

Ken-Ohanenye, who was born on 24 January in the 1970s, is a lawyer and entrepreneur.

She is the only female of the 23 presidential hopefuls seeking to emerge as the candidate of the ruling party, to contest the election in 2023.

Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo)

Boroffice, 73, is the lawmaker representing Ondo North senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly since 2011.

He was first elected on the platform of the Labour Party before he joined Action Congress of Nigeria, then APC where he is seeking to win the party’s presidential ticket.

Ken Nnamani (Enugu)

Nnamani, 73, is an APC chieftain who served as the President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2005 to 2007.

Before joining the APC, he was elected to the Senate in 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to represent Enugu East senatorial district and served until 2007.

David Umahi (Ebonyi)

Umahi, 57, is a two-term and incumbent governor of Ebonyi State – a position he has held since 2015. He won both elections on the PDP platform.

Before his emergence as governor, Umahi served as deputy governor under the administration of former Governor Martin Elechi.

Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi)

Onu, 70, was the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation under President Buhari’s administration. A position he held since 2015, he is a two-term and longest-serving minister in the history of the ministry.

He was also the first civilian governor of Abia State between January 1992 and November 1993.

Ben Ayade (Cross River)

Ayade, 54, is the incumbent governor of Cross River State and is in his second term in office. He ran successfully for the office of governor twice on the PDP platform before he joined APC in May 2021.

Before he became governor, Ayade represented one of the three senatorial districts of the state between 2011 and 2015.

Yahaya Bello (Kogi)

Bello, 46, has served as the governor of Kogi State since 2016. He is said to be the youngest executive governor of a state in the country.

Ikeobasi Mokelu (Anambra)

Mokelu is a former Minister of Information under the military regime of late General Sani Abacha.

He is said to be the last presidential aspirant to pick the nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling party.

Sani Yerima (Zamfara)

Yerima, 61, was a two-term governor of Zamfara State who held office from May 1999 to May 2007.

Thereafter, he served as the senator representing Zamfara West from 2007 to 2019.