In a dramatic twist that further inflames the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s internal power struggle, an interim faction led by Kabiru Turaki has audaciously submitted former President Goodluck Jonathan’s nomination for the 2027 presidential election directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This bold maneuver occurred despite INEC’s steadfast refusal to recognize the committee’s legitimacy, escalating an already intricate web of political and legal challenges facing Nigeria’s main opposition party.
Defiance in Submission: The Interim Committee’s Stand
The Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the PDP asserts that its manual submission of candidates, which includes nominations for governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly, was carried out in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026. Comrade Ini Ememobong, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, clarified that this unconventional approach was necessitated by INEC’s decision to deny them access codes for electronic submission, which he dismissed as a mere ‘administrative convenience.’ Ememobong confirmed that INEC acknowledged receipt of their comprehensive list, a detail the faction believes is crucial for validating their actions.
Issuing a stern warning, Ememobong cautioned the commission against publishing any list of candidates other than the one lawfully submitted by his committee. He declared, “Should the Commission publish names other than those lawfully submitted by us… we are exhausting every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party.”
A Legal Quagmire: Who Leads the PDP?
At the core of the ongoing dispute is the legitimacy of the Turaki-led faction. Ememobong explained that the Supreme Court’s judgment on PDP leadership left a significant void, prompting the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and a duly requisitioned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to establish the INWC. Despite formally notifying INEC of these internal party developments, the commission reportedly declined official recognition, compelling the faction to seek judicial intervention to affirm its status.
The committee did not hold back in its criticism of INEC’s conduct, accusing the electoral body of abandoning its neutral role. “The Commission’s actions have regrettably reinforced the growing public perception that it is no longer acting with the impartiality expected of the nation’s electoral umpire,” Ememobong stated, alleging that INEC withheld crucial material facts during court proceedings and disregarded congresses it had initially monitored.
Challenging Justice: Appeals and Accusations
In response to the legal hurdles, the interim committee is actively pursuing several legal avenues. They are appealing a recent Federal High Court judgment that Ememobong believes “reads more like an appeal on the judgment of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal,” thus contradicting established legal precedents. The faction also intends to contest alleged discrepancies between the judgment delivered in court and its Certified True Copy (CTC).
Beyond the courtroom battles, Ememobong painted a stark picture of a broader political agenda, asserting that the PDP has become the initial target in a concerted effort to dismantle opposition parties and cement one-party dominance across the nation. “We were the pioneer target for opposition dismantling and capture, but it has now spread to almost all the opposition parties,” he claimed, underscoring a perceived systemic threat to Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system.
Defending Democracy: A Unified Plea
In a passionate appeal, the faction urged all Nigerians to rally in defense of multi-party democracy, warning that “electoral authoritarianism undermines democratic consolidation.” Despite the formidable challenges, Ememobong expressed unwavering confidence that their committee and the authentic spirit of the PDP would ultimately prevail, ensuring that the party is neither “hijacked nor annexed to the ruling party.” The faction remains resolute in its commitment to exhaust every constitutional, legal, and democratic avenue to protect its submitted list of candidates.