PDP Interim Leadership Submits Goodluck Jonathan’s 2027 Candidacy to INEC

The Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced that it manually submitted the presidential nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan, along with other candidates for the 2027 general elections, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).The move comes despite INEC’s refusal to recognise the committee, deepening the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.Speaking to journalists in Abuja, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the committee resorted to manual submission after INEC declined to provide electronic access codes. He insisted that the process complied fully with the Electoral Act 2026.“We have successfully submitted, manually and in full compliance with the law, the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic PDP,” Ememobong stated.He warned INEC against publishing any list other than the one submitted, vowing to pursue legal action if discrepancies arise.The dispute stems from a Supreme Court ruling that left the PDP without a recognised national leadership. Ememobong explained that the party’s Board of Trustees and a requisitioned National Executive Committee meeting established the interim leadership, but INEC has refused to acknowledge it.He criticised a recent Federal High Court judgment, describing it as inconsistent with Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions, and confirmed that the party has filed an appeal.Ememobong also accused INEC of abandoning neutrality, alleging that the commission withheld material facts in court and ignored congresses it monitored. He warned that such actions erode public confidence in the electoral process and fuel perceptions of bias.“We were the pioneer target for opposition dismantling and capture… but it has now spread to almost all opposition parties,” he said, urging Nigerians to defend multi-party democracy against electoral authoritarianism.The submission of Jonathan’s candidacy has intensified debate within the PDP and across the political landscape, as the party struggles to resolve its internal divisions ahead of the 2027 elections.

"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," Ememobong said. The post 2027: PDP faction submits Jonathan’s candidacy to INEC despite recognition row appeared first on Vanguard News.