Turaki led PDP faction submits Jonathan, other candidates to INEC manually

By Lateef Ibrahim

The Tanimu Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has manually submitted the names of its candidates for the 2027 general election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential flag bearer.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the submission also covered governorship and National Assembly candidates.
According to him, the party opted for manual submission after it was allegedly denied access to INEC’s digital candidate nomination portal, insisting that the move complies with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Ememobong said the commission acknowledged receipt of the documents, adding that the faction had fulfilled its legal obligation ahead of the publication of candidates by INEC.
He, however, urged members of the faction not to lose hope if the commission fails to publish the names of its candidates, saying the group was pursuing all available legal and constitutional avenues to protect what it described as the authentic PDP.
The spokesman accused INEC of failing to remain neutral in matters involving the party, alleging that the electoral body had shown bias in handling the PDP’s internal leadership dispute.
He disclosed that the faction has appealed the recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declined to recognize its Interim National Working Committee, arguing that the ruling was inconsistent with previous decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
Ememobong also raised concerns over the Certified True Copy of the judgment, claiming it did not fully reflect aspects of the decision delivered in open court.
Despite the legal battle, he expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would provide clarity on the issues in dispute and reaffirmed the faction’s commitment to reclaiming the party through constitutional and judicial processes while preserving Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.