2027: Turaki led PDP to ratify Jonathan’s nomination as presidential candidate, Saturday

2027: Turaki led PDP to ratify Jonathan’s nomination as presidential candidate, Saturday

All is now set for the formal unveiling of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the group led by Tanimu Turaki.

Recall that the group had earlier indicated that the former President is the only aspirant who picked the party’s form to contest for the party’s presidential candidate.

The party on Thursday announced a ” special convention for the ratification of the nomination of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, as the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”

In a statement signed by Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary and Theophilus Dakas Shan, National Organising Secretary, of the party’s Interim National Management Committee ( INMC), the party indicated that the adoption of the former President will be the sole assignment of the convention

This is coming on the heels of a recent judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, which dismissed a suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi seeking to stop Jonathan from contesting on the grounds that he had previously taken the presidential oath of office twice.

The ratification will pitch Jonathan against the current President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, who recently also won the African Democratic Congress ADC ticket to square up against others.

This is coming against the backdrop of expectations that Peter Obi may also emerge as the presidential candidate of the Seriake Dickson-led National Democratic Congress (NDC)

Before the judgment, political observers had largely predicted a replay of the 2023 contest involving Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who are both expected to remain major opposition figures under different political platforms.

President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently clinched the party’s ticket to contest for his second term in office, in the 2027 election, after securing a landslide victory with 10.9 million votes at the just concluded APC primary.

Former President Jonathan’s entry into the race is now injecting fresh uncertainty into the political landscape, particularly within opposition circles struggling with internal divisions and leadership disputes.

Fred Agbedi, a member of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, said the court ruling had effectively removed a major legal obstacle confronting the former president.

“With this judgment, which aligns with previous judgments on the same subject matter, the coast is clear for President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 elections, there being no legal impediment against him,” Agbedi said.

He described the judgment as a turning point for political forces seeking an alternative direction for the country, urging Nigerians to support what he called Jonathan’s “rescue mission.” “Our country must not be allowed to drift like a rudderless ship on the high sea,” he said. “We must collectively salvage our country from its present woes.”

Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who represented Jonathan in the matter, argued that the case should never have been entertained because similar legal questions had already been settled by appellate courts.

He described the suit as “an abuse of court process,” noting that the same issue had previously been determined by another Federal High Court and upheld on appeal.

The ruling is also being viewed through the prism of the deepening crisis within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where factions continue to battle over leadership and control of party structures.

A group led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki recently indicated support for Jonathan as a possible consensus presidential candidate.

Umar Sani, a former media aide to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, said the judgment strengthened Nigeria’s democratic space by widening electoral choices for voters.

“There is no doubt that the judgment is a victory for multiparty democracy, which we practice and that it would widen the political space for Nigerians, providing more options amongst the candidates for Nigerians to choose from,” Sani said.

He added that Jonathan remained widely admired by many Nigerians because of perceptions that the economy was more stable during his administration.

Still, some lawyers and political analysts warned that constitutional questions surrounding Jonathan’s eligibility may not be entirely settled.

Osita Okechukwu, former deputy National Legal Adviser to the PDP, has expressed the fears that the former President may be using ” a boat without a peddle and a Peddler”, as according to him, the Turaki-led PDP has neither a legal backing, nor is it recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

” Which platform is he using? Who will submit his credentials, to whom, and where will they submit it? Those people are not recognised by the INEC. Go and check the INEC portal to see whose names are there under the PDP

” As far as we know and based on the recent Supreme Court ruling, the only PDP recognised is the one led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu, of which Nyesom Wike is the national leader.

“We have already unveiled Sandy Onor as our presidential candidate. So, we hope they don’t rubbish the good reputation which the former President had laboured to build for himself over the years,” he stated