A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified the party’s leadership crisis by submitting former President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential nomination to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite not being recognised by the electoral body.
The Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (NWC) announced on Friday that it had manually submitted Jonathan’s nomination alongside the names of its governorship, National Assembly and state assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The faction said it resorted to manual submission after INEC declined to provide it with the electronic access codes required for uploading candidates, insisting that the move complied fully with the Electoral Act 2026.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the PDP Interim National Publicity Secretary, Michael Ememobong, said the documents were received and acknowledged by INEC despite the commission’s refusal to recognise the Turaki-led leadership.
The development further deepens the ongoing leadership dispute within the PDP, with rival factions continuing to battle over the party’s authentic leadership ahead of the 2027 general election. INEC has maintained that it recognises only officials backed by existing legal and administrative processes when granting access to its nomination portal.
The Turaki-led faction also warned that it would pursue legal action if INEC publishes a different list of candidates for the PDP in the 2027 elections.
