Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dramatic turn as the faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), announced the manual submission of former President Goodluck Jonathan's name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. The faction, which claims to be the authentic leadership of the PDP, said it was forced to resort to manual submission after INEC allegedly denied it the access codes required to upload candidates' names electronically on the commission's portal.
The faction's National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday night, July 30, 2026. He said the submission included the names of candidates for the presidency, governorship elections, National Assembly, and state Houses of Assembly across the country. Ememobong insisted that the submission was in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and that INEC acknowledged receipt of the documents. "We are pleased to announce that, 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," he stated.
Faction Accuses INEC of Bias and Institutional Partisanship
Ememobong launched a scathing attack on INEC, accusing the electoral commission of institutional bias and failing to maintain neutrality in the PDP leadership crisis. He claimed that INEC had ignored relevant facts and court orders concerning the party's leadership and had repeatedly failed to act as a neutral umpire. "In every matter involving our party, including court proceedings before even the Ibadan convention, INEC officials withheld or failed to acknowledge material facts which they witnessed. Congresses monitored by INEC, meetings attended by INEC, were facts that INEC officials suppressed on oath in court and refused to acknowledge," Ememobong alleged.
The faction warned that it would challenge any candidate list published by INEC that differs from the names it submitted. Ememobong urged the electoral commission to exercise restraint and wait for the final determination of pending legal disputes before publishing candidate lists. He also disclosed that the faction had filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had dismissed its suit seeking to compel INEC to recognise its interim leadership. Ememobong expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment delivered by Justice Salim Ibrahim, describing it as inconsistent with earlier decisions of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
Rival Wike-Backed Faction Has Already Uploaded Candidates to INEC Portal
The Turaki-led faction's manual submission comes after the rival PDP faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, uploaded the names of its presidential, vice-presidential, and National Assembly candidates to the INEC nomination portal earlier in July. INEC has reportedly recognised the Wike-backed faction, which has Mohammed as national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary. The Wike faction's presidential candidate is Sandy Onor, with Babangida Umaru as his running mate.
The development raises the possibility of rival factions presenting competing candidate lists to INEC, potentially triggering another legal battle over which list should be recognised by the electoral commission. The Turaki-led faction had previously endorsed former President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate, ratifying his nomination during a special national convention in June 2026. The faction also conducted primaries for about 1,470 candidates, who were issued certificates of return at a ceremony at the Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja.
Legal Battles and the Future of PDP's 2027 Participation
The PDP leadership crisis dates back to the aborted Ibadan national convention in November 2025, where the party expelled Wike and others for anti-party activities. INEC refused to attend and monitor the convention in obedience to a court judgment ordering the party not to proceed. The Turaki-led faction has since been fighting for recognition, approaching the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel INEC to recognise its interim National Working Committee (NWC). However, the court dismissed the suit on July 17, 2026, dealing a blow to the faction's hopes of being recognised by the electoral commission.
Ememobong expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would overturn the high court's decision, arguing that the lower court's judgment contradicted earlier rulings of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. "The case we went for was for the enforcement of the judgments of the court, not a re-litigation of the issues therefrom. Rather than determine the questions relating to the enforcement of those subsisting judgments, my Lord, in his wisdom, but in our interpretation, ventured into issues already settled by these superior courts," he said.
The faction has warned that if INEC proceeds to publish the names of candidates submitted by the Wike-backed group, it would "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". Ememobong called on INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to adopt a prudent course in handling the PDP leadership crisis, stressing that public confidence is the foundation upon which electoral legitimacy rests.
The submission of Jonathan's name has now placed INEC at the centre of the PDP's internal dispute, with the courts likely to play a crucial role in determining which faction has the legitimate authority to field candidates for the 2027 elections. As the legal battle continues, the PDP's prospects for the 2027 general election remain uncertain, with the party deeply divided and its candidate list contested by rival factions. Ememobong urged the party's loyalists not to despair, stating: "We are exhausting every constitutional, legal, and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party".
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments