Turaki-Led PDP Submits Goodluck Jonathan’s Name to INEC as 2027 Presidential Candidate
By Aliyu Oyewole
The Kabiru Turaki-led 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.
The faction’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, disclosed this on Thursday night in Abuja, saying the submission was made manually after INEC allegedly declined to provide the group with access codes to upload its candidates through the electoral commission’s nomination portal.
According to Ememobong, the faction also submitted the names of its candidates for the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly elections, adding that the documents were duly acknowledged by INEC.
The development comes amid the prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP, which has split the opposition party into two rival factions. The faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had earlier uploaded the names of its presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates to the INEC nomination portal.
INEC currently recognises the Wike-backed faction following a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which on July 17 dismissed a suit filed by the PDP Board of Trustees seeking recognition of the Turaki-led interim National Working Committee.
Ememobong said the Turaki-led faction has appealed the judgment and expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would overturn the lower court’s decision.
He accused INEC of failing to remain impartial throughout the party’s leadership dispute, alleging that the commission had consistently acted in a manner that undermined the faction’s position.
According to him, publishing candidates submitted by any group other than the Turaki-led leadership would further fuel concerns over the electoral body’s neutrality.
He argued that electoral institutions must remain independent to safeguard democratic competition, warning that any perceived bias could weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Ememobong also maintained that the legal challenge instituted by the Turaki-led faction is intended to protect multi-party democracy and insisted that the group remains confident of securing victory in court.
