The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has announced plans to hold a special convention on Saturday to formally ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The announcement was contained in an invitation issued late Thursday and jointly signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Emebong, and National Organising Secretary, Hon. Theophilus Dakas Shan.
According to the invitation circulated on the party’s social media platforms, the ratification ceremony for Goodluck Jonathan’s emergence as the PDP presidential candidate for the 2027 election will take place at the A Class Event Centre in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja.
The event is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m.
The planned ratification follows a recent court judgment affirming that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The Kabiru Turaki faction of the PDP has in recent months intensified efforts to persuade Jonathan to join the presidential race.
On May 19, the faction had already announced the former president as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election after he reportedly failed to appear before the party’s presidential screening committee for two consecutive days.
Speaking with journalists after the second day of the screening exercise, a member of the Presidential Screening Committee, Babangida Aliyu, disclosed that Goodluck Jonathan had been cleared as the party’s sole presidential aspirant.
Babangida Aliyu stated that the party’s leadership had granted Jonathan the necessary waiver to participate in the primary process.
“As you know, the party had already given a presidential aspirant the waiver. Like I said in the beginning, he was a deputy governor, became governor, became vice-president and became president.
“So, we didn’t see anything that needed screening. Therefore, the party had given him a waiver.
“In other words, he had been declared as the candidate of PDP for the presidential election,” Babangida Aliyu said.
Despite the claims by the Kabiru Turaki faction, former President Goodluck Jonathan has yet to publicly confirm whether he intends to return to active presidential politics or contest the 2027 election.
His participation at the planned ratification convention on Saturday therefore remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, another faction of the PDP recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had earlier this week adopted former national lawmaker, Sandy Onor, as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
