Twenty-four hours after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ratified former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, the former leader has yet to issue an official statement indicating whether he will accept or decline the nomination.
Efforts by reporters on Sunday to secure confirmation from close associates and political allies of the former president yielded no definitive answers, leaving his political intentions shrouded in uncertainty.
Associates Maintain Silence
Representative Fred Agbedi (PDP–Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency, Bayelsa State), a prominent promoter of the draft-Jonathan movement, did not respond to press inquiries regarding the development. Other close contacts of the former president similarly declined to comment when reached on Sunday to clarify the direction of Jonathan’s political camp.
The nomination stems from the Interim National Working Committee (INWC), a PDP faction led by Tanimu Turaki. Explaining the selection, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the National Publicity Secretary of the INWC, stated that Jonathan’s draft was "a call to service" rather than an expression of personal ambition. Ememobong emphasized that the party leadership independently assessed the former president's credentials and deemed him the most qualified candidate to fly the party's flag.
A Waiver in Absentia
Investigation shows no public evidence that former President Jonathan formally expressed interest in the race, purchased nomination forms, or appeared before the party's presidential screening committee.
The Turaki-led faction instead granted Jonathan a screening waiver in absentia. Speaking on May 19—the date scheduled for candidate screenings—screening panel member and former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, defended the decision:
"The party had already given our presidential aspirant the waiver. He was deputy governor, became governor, became vice president, became president. We didn't see anything that needed screening... In other words, he had been declared and cleared as the candidate of the PDP."
During the INWC's ratification ceremony on Saturday, May 30, the Chairman of the Special Presidential Convention, Professor Jerry Gana, accepted the certificate of return on behalf of the absent former president. The certificate was subsequently handed to Representative Agbedi for onward delivery to Jonathan. Attempts to reach Professor Gana for comment on Sunday were unsuccessful, as an aide stated he was engaged in meetings.
Ongoing Leadership Friction within the PDP
The developments underscore the deep, ongoing polarization within Nigeria's main opposition party. The PDP currently operates under parallel leadership structures: the National Working Committee (NWC) chaired by Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed, and the INWC led by Tanimu Turaki. Both factions continue to claim sole constitutional legitimacy.
The ongoing friction persists despite a Supreme Court ruling on April 30, which many observers anticipated would permanently resolve the party's leadership dispute. Instead, the conflicting actions of the rival factions suggest a definitive resolution remains elusive ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.