The Kabiru Turaki-led wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to convene a special convention this Saturday, aiming to formally endorse former President Goodluck Jonathan as its nominee for the 2027 presidential race.
An invitation released late Thursday, jointly signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Emebong, and National Organising Secretary, Hon. Theophilus Dakas Shan, shared details of the event. According to the notice circulated on the party’s social media channels, the ratification ceremony for Jonathan’s candidacy will be held at the A Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja, starting at 10 a.m.
This move follows a recent court ruling that confirmed Jonathan’s eligibility to stand in the 2027 elections. The Turaki faction has been actively courting Jonathan in recent months, seeking to bring him into the race. On May 19, the faction had already declared the former president as its sole candidate for the 2027 poll, after he reportedly failed to appear before the party’s presidential screening committee for two consecutive days.
During a press briefing following the second day of screening, Babangida Aliyu, a member of the Presidential Screening Committee, announced that Jonathan had been cleared as the only presidential aspirant, adding that the party leadership had granted him a waiver to bypass the screening 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,” Aliyu stated.
Despite these assertions from the Turaki faction, former President Goodluck Jonathan has not publicly declared any intention to re-enter active presidential politics or contest the 2027 election. Consequently, his attendance at Saturday’s planned ratification convention remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, a rival PDP faction recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and reportedly backed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, earlier this week selected former national lawmaker Sandy Onor as its presidential candidate for the 2027 contest.