We manually submitted Jonathan’s name after INEC denied us portal access – Turaki-led PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, says it has submitted the name of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

Speaking on Thursday night in Abuja, Ini Ememobong, spokesperson for the Turaki-led PDP, said the submission was made manually following INEC’s refusal to provide the group with access codes to upload Jonathan’s name electronically.

He said the names of candidates for other elective positions, including the national assembly and state houses of assembly for the 2027 elections, were also filed with the electoral umpire.

Ememobong added that the submission was “duly acknowledged” by INEC.

Earlier in the month, the PDP faction backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), uploaded the names of its presidential, vice-presidential, and national assembly candidates for the 2027 polls to the INEC nomination portal.

The PDP is polarised into two factions, with the Wike-backed camp recognised by the electoral umpire.

On July 17, the federal high court in Abuja dismissed a suit instituted by the party’s board of trustees (BoT), which sought to compel the electoral body to recognise the Turaki-led interim national working committee (NWC) of the PDP.

Ememobong said the Turaki-led PDP has appealed the judgment and is optimistic that the court of appeal would overturn the decision of the high court.

Ememobong accused INEC of displaying institutional bias against the party throughout the leadership crisis, alleging that the commission had repeatedly failed to act as a neutral electoral umpire.

He claimed that the commission ignored material facts in court proceedings involving the party, saying publishing candidates submitted by any group other than the interim leadership led by Turaki would reinforce public perception of partisanship.

“We sincerely hope that INEC, under the leadership of professor Joash Amupitan, will adopt this prudent course,” he said.

“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 and strengthen the perception that it is lending institutional support to individuals whose primary objective is to weaken the opposition from within.

“Electoral authoritarianism is fundamentally incompatible with democratic consolidation. It reduces elections to mere rituals rather than genuine expressions of the people’s sovereign will.

“This is why every Nigerian, regardless of political persuasion, has a stake in defending multi-party democracy and resisting every attempt at state capture. Nations prosper when political competition is free, fair and credible.”

Ememobong said the legal battle over the PDP leadership is aimed at preserving multi-party democracy, adding that the Turaki faction is certain of victory.(TheCable)