Nigeria PDP submits Jonathan candidacy to INEC
- Politics
Otaria Benjamin- 0
- 4 minutes read
Goodluck Jonathan served as the President of Nigeria from May 6, 2010, to May 29, 2015.
A faction of Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 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, deepening the party’s leadership crisis.
The Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee said it manually submitted Jonathan’s nomination and the names of its governorship, National Assembly and state assembly candidates after INEC allegedly refused to provide access codes for electronic filing.
“Notwithstanding INEC’s refusal to provide us with the necessary access codes, we have successfully submitted, manually and in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic Peoples Democratic Party,” the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, told journalists in Abuja.
INEC has rejected the nomination. The commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said nominations can only be processed through the designated online portal.
A leadership dispute has polarised the PDP. The Turaki camp insists it is the party’s authentic leadership, while INEC recognises another faction backed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike. The Wike-aligned faction has nominated Senator Sandy Onor as its presidential candidate.
Ememobong warned INEC against publishing any list other than the one submitted by his group. “Should the Commission publish names other than those lawfully submitted by us, we are exhausting every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party,” he said.
The Turaki-led faction has appealed a Federal High Court judgment it says is inconsistent with Supreme Court rulings on the party’s leadership.
Goodluck Jonathan was Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015. He has been cleared by a Federal High Court to contest the 2027 presidential election.
SOURCE: AllAfrica
