PDP faction submits Jonathan’s name to INEC as candidate

• Despite being denied access code

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), headed by Dr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, 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, under the aegis of the Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the PDP, made the announcement at a press conference addressed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong late Thursday night in Abuja.

Ememobong explained that Jonathan’s name was manually submitted alongside those of its governorship, National Assembly and state houses of assembly candidates to INEC in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026.

The National Publicity Secretary of the INWC, said INEC acknowledged receipt of the submission, even though it (the commission) denied the faction access to electronic submission codes.

The faction, Ememobong pointed out, remains the authentic leadership of the PDP, following what he described as a Supreme Court judgment that left the party without a legally recognised national leadership.

This, he said, prompted the Board of Trustees and a member-requisitioned National Executive Committee to establish an interim leadership structure.

Ememobong disclosed that the faction had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja after INEC allegedly refused to recognise the interim leadership despite being notified of its constitution and subsequent reminders.

He criticised a recent judgment by Justice Salim Oluwasupo Ibrahim, arguing that the ruling contradicted earlier decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal which, according to him, formed the basis of the faction’s case.

His words, “The judgment reads more like an appeal on the judgments of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal”, adding that the group had appealed the decision and was confident that the appellate court would reaffirm the earlier rulings.

The PDP faction also alleged irregularities in the release of the Certified True Copy of the judgment, claiming that portions of the document did not fully reflect what was delivered in open court.