The Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the purported nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election by the Taminu Turaki-led faction, describing the move as illegal and without legal effect.
The Turaki faction announced on Friday that it had manually submitted Jonathan’s name and those of other candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission despite not being recognised by the electoral body.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the faction’s Interim National Working Committee spokesman, Ini Ememobong, said the group remained hopeful that the Court of Appeal would overturn a Federal High Court judgment which declined to compel INEC to recognise its interim leadership.
Ememobong said the faction resorted to legal action after INEC allegedly refused to recognise the interim leadership constituted by the party’s Board of Trustees and a member-requisitioned National Executive Committee. He argued that the decision followed a Supreme Court judgment which, according to the faction, left the PDP without a legally recognised National Working Committee.
He maintained that the faction manually submitted its list of candidates, including Jonathan as its presidential flag bearer, in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 after INEC allegedly denied it access to the electronic candidate nomination portal.
The faction also warned that any attempt by INEC to publish candidates submitted by another leadership would undermine public confidence in the electoral commission, insisting it would continue to pursue legal avenues to protect what it described as the authentic PDP.
Reacting, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, dismissed the submission, insisting that only the party’s legally recognised leadership has the authority to nominate candidates and upload their names through INEC’s electronic nomination portal.
Mohammed described the Turaki faction’s action as “illegal and worthless,” stressing that the electoral commission does not recognise manual submission of candidates.
He also called on Jonathan to publicly distance himself from the faction, warning that his continued silence could be interpreted as support for its actions.
“It is unfortunate that a respected former president has allowed himself to be associated with this charade,” Mohammed said, urging Jonathan to clarify his position.
He further questioned the legitimacy of the faction’s purported candidates, asking whether it conducted valid primary elections monitored by INEC as required by law.
According to Mohammed, INEC’s candidate nomination process is conducted exclusively through secure electronic access codes issued to recognised political parties, adding that any submission made outside the prescribed procedure lacks legal validity.
The dispute underscores the continuing leadership crisis within the PDP as rival factions battle for control of the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general election.
