The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP says it has manually submitted former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate to INEC for the 2027 general elections, alongside its governorship and National Assembly candidates.
The Tanimu Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has manually submitted the name of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The faction disclosed this on Thursday during a press conference in Abuja, where its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ini Ememobong, said the submission also included the names of its governorship and National Assembly candidates.
According to Ememobong, the candidates’ list was submitted manually after the faction was unable to gain access to INEC’s digital candidate nomination portal.
He maintained that the submission complied fully with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, arguing that access to the commission’s online portal is an administrative convenience rather than a legal requirement.
“We are pleased to announce that we have successfully submitted manually, and in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the entirety of the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic PDP,” Ememobong said.
He added that the commission acknowledged receipt of the documents and urged supporters of the faction not to lose hope if INEC does not immediately publish the names of its candidates.
According to him, the faction is pursuing every constitutional and legal avenue to ensure its recognition and prevent what it described as attempts to undermine the party.
Ememobong also accused INEC of failing to remain neutral in matters involving the PDP, alleging that the electoral body had demonstrated institutional bias in handling the party’s internal disputes.
He claimed that the commission failed to acknowledge material facts in previous court proceedings and urged INEC to refrain from publishing any list of candidates until all pending legal disputes concerning the party’s leadership had been finally determined.
The spokesman further disclosed that the faction had appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, delivered by Justice Salim Ibrahim, which declined to recognise the interim National Working Committee.
He argued that the ruling was inconsistent with earlier decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, insisting that the case before the Federal High Court was intended to enforce existing judgments rather than reopen issues already settled by superior courts.
Ememobong also raised concerns over the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, alleging that it did not fully reflect portions of the decision delivered in open court.
He said the discrepancies formed part of the reasons the faction approached the Court of Appeal for clarification and judicial review.
Reaffirming the group’s commitment to pursuing its claims through legal means, Ememobong said the faction remained determined to preserve multi-party democracy and reclaim what it described as the authentic leadership of the PDP through constitutional processes.
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