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 presidential candidate for the 2027 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 Jonathan’s emergence as the PDP presidential candidate will take place at the A Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja.
The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
The planned ratification follows a recent court ruling affirming that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.
In recent months, the Kabiru Turaki faction has intensified efforts to persuade Jonathan to join the presidential race.
On May 19, the faction announced Jonathan 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 Jonathan had been cleared as the party’s sole presidential aspirant.
Babangida Aliyu stated that the party leadership had granted Jonathan the required 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, Jonathan has yet to publicly confirm whether he intends to return to active presidential politics or contest the 2027 election.
His participation at Saturday’s planned ratification convention 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 adopted former national lawmaker, Sandy Onor, as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
