By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operations
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday expressed confidence that former President Goodluck Jonathan would be listed among candidates for the January 16, 2027 presidential election, despite an ongoing leadership dispute within the party.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) publication of candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections on August 1, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the group had manually submitted Jonathan’s name alongside those of its governorship, National Assembly and state assembly candidates.
According to him, INEC acknowledged receipt of the submission, although the commission had declined to provide the party with access codes for electronic submission.
“Accordingly, we are pleased to announce that notwithstanding INEC’s refusal to provide us with the necessary access codes—which is an administrative convenience rather than a legal requirement—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.
“That submission, containing the names of our Presidential Candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as all Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates—receipt of which was duly acknowledged by INEC.”
He, however, urged party members and supporters not to lose hope if Jonathan’s name and those of other candidates submitted by the faction do not appear on the list to be published by INEC on Saturday.
“As part of the electoral timetable, INEC will soon publish the names of candidates sponsored by political parties. Should the Commission publish names other than those lawfully submitted by us, we urge our members, supporters and the teeming Nigerians who eagerly await the candidature of President Jonathan and our other candidates not to despair. We are exhausting every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our Party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party.”
The faction also launched a fresh attack on INEC, accusing the electoral commission of partisanship and bias in matters involving the PDP.
In a statement titled “Victory Ahead, by God’s Grace,” Ememobong alleged that the commission withheld material facts during court proceedings and failed to comply with court orders favourable to the party.
“It is equally necessary to draw the attention of Nigerians to the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission throughout these proceedings. The Commission’s actions have regrettably reinforced the growing public perception that it is no longer acting with the impartiality expected of the nation’s electoral umpire.
“In every matter involving our Party, including court proceedings before the Ibadan Convention, officials of the Commission withheld or failed to acknowledge material facts that would have assisted the courts in arriving at a just determination. Congresses conducted and monitored by INEC itself were subsequently denied or ignored because acknowledging them would have contradicted the narrative advanced before the courts.”
He further claimed that the judiciary had repeatedly reminded the commission of its constitutional responsibility to remain neutral but alleged that INEC’s conduct had fallen short of that expectation.
“The Commission’s filings, its arguments before the courts, and its refusal to comply with court orders favourable to our Party have collectively created an impression of institutional bias that should concern every Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation.”
The PDP faction maintained that the Supreme Court’s judgment on the party’s leadership left it without a legally recognised National Working Committee, prompting the Board of Trustees and a member-requisitioned National Executive Committee to constitute an Interim National Working Committee.
According to Ememobong, the decision was duly communicated to INEC, but the commission refused to recognise the interim leadership, forcing the faction to approach the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He criticised the judgment delivered by Justice Salim Oluwasupo Ibrahim, saying it was inconsistent with existing decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
“The judgment delivered by Justice Salim Oluwasupo Ibrahim reads more like an appeal on the judgment of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. It is clearly inconsistent with the extant decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal that form the foundation of our case.
“It is for this reason that we have exercised our constitutional right of appeal.”
He also alleged discrepancies between the judgment delivered in open court and the Certified True Copy later released.
“It is equally important to note that the Certified True Copy of the judgment was released after considerable delay. More significantly, the Certified True Copy did not fully reflect portions of the judgment as delivered in open court. This development raises legitimate concerns, which will also be addressed through the appropriate legal processes.”
Ememobong urged INEC to exercise restraint pending the determination of the appeal before the Court of Appeal.
“We sincerely hope that INEC, under the leadership of Professor Joash Amupitan, will adopt this prudent course. If, however, the Commission proceeds to publish the names of persons other than those validly sponsored by the authentic leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, it will only deepen public concerns regarding its neutrality.”
He insisted that the faction would continue to pursue all constitutional and legal means to reclaim what it described as the authentic leadership of the PDP.
“We remain hopeful. With God on our side, victory is certain, even if it is delayed. There may be obstacles. There may be frustrations. But the triumph of evil over good, darkness over light, and compromise over principle can only be ephemeral.”
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