Fresh controversy has erupted within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, formally declared former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The declaration was made on Saturday during a special national convention held at the faction’s national secretariat in Area 10, Garki, Abuja.
Jonathan was absent from the convention, but delegates at the gathering unanimously ratified his nomination. His Certificate of Return was received on his behalf by Bayelsa lawmaker Fred Agbedi.
Party stakeholders and delegates loyal to the Turaki-led faction described the endorsement as a strategic move aimed at positioning the party for victory in the 2027 presidential election.
However, the development was immediately rejected by the rival PDP faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The Wike-backed group insisted that it neither organised nor recognised any convention to endorse Jonathan and maintained that the reports surrounding the exercise were misleading and unauthorised.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, the faction dismissed claims that Jonathan was being considered as its presidential candidate.
According to the statement, the faction had already completed its primary election process and produced Senator Sandy Onor as its presidential flag bearer for the 2027 polls.
“The party wishes to categorically state that no such convention, meeting or process has been scheduled, approved or endorsed by the leadership or any recognised organ of the Peoples Democratic Party,” Mohammed said.
He urged party members, supporters and the general public to disregard reports linking the faction to any planned endorsement of the former president.
The Wike camp further called on security agencies to investigate the source of the reports and take appropriate action against those responsible for what it described as an attempt to sow confusion within the political space.
It also appealed to Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from the endorsement in order to avoid further controversy and protect the integrity of the democratic process.
The statement stressed that all the party’s primaries, including those for governorship, state assemblies, National Assembly and the presidency, had already been concluded in line with the Electoral Act, INEC guidelines and the party’s constitution.
Saturday’s development underscores the deepening crisis within the PDP, where rival factions continue to assert legitimacy and lay claim to the party’s structures ahead of the 2027 general election.