Key points
- Turaki-led PDP faction says it manually submitted Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential nomination and other candidates to INEC.
- The faction insists its candidates were validly nominated despite lacking access to INEC’s upload portal.
- It warned INEC against recognising any candidate list other than the one it submitted.
Main story
Nigeria’s prolonged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership crisis has entered a new phase after the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction claimed it manually submitted former President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential nomination and the names of its other candidates for the 2027 elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The move comes despite INEC’s recognition of the rival Abdulrahman Mohammed-led leadership, which has been granted access to the commission’s electronic portal for uploading candidates. The Mohammed faction is backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The PDP has remained divided since its disputed national convention in Ibadan last year. Although the Supreme Court later nullified the convention, the judgment failed to resolve the leadership dispute, leaving both factions laying claim to the party’s structure.
Speaking at a press conference, the National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, said the faction opted for manual submission after INEC allegedly declined to provide it with the access code required to upload candidates electronically.
He maintained that the nominations were valid under the Electoral Act and cautioned the electoral commission against publishing any list other than the one submitted by his faction.
Ememobong also faulted a recent Federal High Court ruling that declined to recognise the Turaki-led leadership, arguing that it conflicted with earlier decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal..
The issues
The dispute highlights the PDP’s prolonged leadership crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections. While INEC recognises one faction for candidate nominations, the rival group insists it remains the legitimate leadership. The outcome of the legal and political contest could determine which candidates eventually appear on the ballot.
What’s being said
“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.” — Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary, Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee.
“We are exhausting every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party.” — Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary, Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee.
“The recent Federal High Court judgment was clearly inconsistent with the extant decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal that form the foundation of our case.” — Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary, Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee.
What’s next
INEC is expected to determine the validity of the submissions as the leadership dispute continues through the courts. Further legal proceedings could shape which PDP faction is officially recognised for the 2027 elections.
Bottom line
The manual submission underscores the deepening leadership crisis within the PDP, with rival factions pursuing parallel paths to secure recognition ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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