A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Tanimu Turaki, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias, insisting that it validly nominated former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The faction, operating under an Interim National Working Committee, made the claim during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, where it alleged that INEC’s refusal to recognise its leadership was an attempt to undermine the party and weaken the opposition.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the Interim National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the faction remained confident that the Court of Appeal would overturn a Federal High Court ruling which declined to compel INEC to recognise its interim leadership.
According to Ememobong, the leadership crisis followed a Supreme Court judgment which, the faction argued, left the PDP without a legally recognised National Working Committee. He said the party’s Board of Trustees and a member-requisitioned National Executive Committee subsequently constituted an interim leadership to manage the party’s affairs.
He stated that after INEC allegedly refused to provide access codes required for electronic submission of candidates, the faction manually submitted its list of candidates in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026.
“Our presidential candidate is former President Goodluck Jonathan, alongside governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates. The manual submission complies fully with the Electoral Act,” Ememobong said.
The faction warned that any decision by INEC to publish candidates submitted by another PDP group would further erode public confidence in the commission’s neutrality.
It also accused the electoral body of failing to act impartially throughout the leadership dispute, alleging that INEC withheld relevant information during court proceedings and ignored party congresses it had monitored.
Ememobong further criticised the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court, describing it as inconsistent with previous decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. He disclosed that the faction had appealed the ruling and would also challenge what it described as discrepancies between the judgment delivered in court and its Certified True Copy.
PDP faction urged INEC to refrain from recognising candidates submitted by any other faction until the appeal is determined, insisting that its legal action is aimed at protecting internal party democracy and Nigeria’s democratic process.
PDP has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis following judicial pronouncements affecting its National Working Committee. While the Turaki-led faction maintains that its interim leadership is legitimate, INEC has yet to recognise it.