A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scheduled to hold a Special National Convention on Saturday to formally ratify ex-President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The convention will take place at the ‘A’ Class Event Centre, Kassim Ibrahim Way, Wuse 2, Abuja, beginning at 10 a.m.
Ini Ememobong, the faction’s national publicity secretary, and Theophilus Dakas Shan, its national organizing secretary, signed the invitation to the event.
The invitation described the gathering as a “Special National Convention for the Ratification of the Nomination of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR as the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,” the document read.
The Kabiru Turaki-led faction has taken a series of moves to position Jonathan as its flag-bearer, culminating in Saturday’s convention.
On May 19, the faction’s screening committee granted Jonathan a waiver, confirming him as its sole presidential candidate.
Former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, who chaired the screening committee, stated that the party chose to issue the waiver based on Jonathan’s political record as deputy governor, governor, vice president, and president.
The faction then had its presidential primary on Wednesday, May 28, before Saturday’s ratification vote.
On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja pronounced Jonathan qualified to run in the 2027 presidential election, prompting a happy reaction from the Turaki-led faction.
Justice Peter Lifu ruled that a plaintiff seeking to prevent Jonathan from running had the legal standing to file the complaint since he had experienced no loss as a result of the former president’s presumed plan to run.
The judge referred to the suit as an abuse of judicial procedure, noting that both a Federal High court in Yenagoa and a Court of Appeal had previously determined Jonathan’s eligibility.
In response to the verdict, the PDP stated that legislation cannot have retroactive or retrospective effect and condemned the suit as vexatious and a blatant abuse of judicial procedures.
It said that the decision, together with Jonathan’s previous screening waiver, opened the way for him to participate in the presidential primaries.
Jonathan had previously informed a gathering of fans wanting him to run in 2027 that he was still consulting, claiming that the presidential race was not a computer game.
