A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has submitted the name of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, despite the party’s lingering leadership crisis.
The faction’s Interim National Working Committee (INWC), led by Kabiru Turaki (SAN), said it manually submitted Jonathan’s nomination alongside those of its governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 after INEC allegedly declined to provide electronic submission access codes.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, maintained that the group remains the authentic leadership of the PDP following Supreme Court decisions which, according to the faction, left the party without a legally recognised national leadership. He said the party’s Board of Trustees and a member-requisitioned National Executive Committee subsequently constituted the interim leadership.
Ememobong disclosed that the faction approached the Federal High Court after INEC allegedly refused to recognise its leadership despite being formally notified. He criticised a recent judgment by Justice Salim Oluwasupo Ibrahim, arguing that it conflicted with earlier Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions, and confirmed that the ruling has been appealed.
The faction further alleged irregularities in the release of the Certified True Copy of the judgment and accused INEC of failing to remain neutral in matters relating to the PDP.
According to Ememobong, if INEC eventually publishes a different list of candidates from the one submitted by the faction, it would reinforce public concerns about the electoral body’s impartiality. He urged party supporters to remain calm and assured them that the group would continue pursuing constitutional and legal remedies to reclaim the party.
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However, the move has been rejected by the PDP’s recognised leadership, which described the submission as “illegal and worthless.” Party spokesman Jungudo Mohammed insisted that only the legally recognised leadership with authorised access to INEC’s electronic nomination portal can validly submit candidates for elections.
Separately, reports indicate that INEC has also rejected the manual nomination submitted by the Turaki-led faction, maintaining that candidate nominations must be made through the commission’s designated electronic portal in line with electoral procedures.
The development underscores the deepening leadership crisis within the PDP as the opposition party prepares for the 2027 general elections, with the legal battle over its authentic leadership and candidate nominations expected to continue in the courts.
