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A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold a special national convention on Saturday to formally endorse former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The event is scheduled to take place at the ‘A’ Class Event Centre, Kassim Ibrahim Way, Wuse 2, Abuja, and will begin at 10 a.m.
An invitation signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, and National Organising Secretary, Theophilus Dakas Shan, and obtained by Punch, described the gathering as a special convention to confirm Jonathan’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate.
The move follows a series of steps by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction to position the former president as its flagbearer, including a screening exercise held on May 19 that granted him a waiver and cleared him as the sole aspirant.
The screening committee, chaired by former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, said the decision was based on Jonathan’s political experience as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president.
The faction had earlier conducted its presidential primary ahead of the planned ratification exercise.
The development also comes after the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election, a judgment welcomed by the faction.
Justice Peter Lifu held that the suit seeking to stop Jonathan from contesting was incompetent, noting that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the case. He also referenced earlier decisions of both the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed Jonathan’s eligibility, describing the suit as an abuse of court process.
Following the ruling, the PDP faction said existing laws could not operate retrospectively and described the case as baseless and an abuse of judicial process, adding that the decision, alongside the waiver earlier granted, cleared the path for Jonathan’s participation.
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, had previously told supporters that the 2027 race was not a “computer game,” adding that he was still consulting before making any decision.
Although he has been nominated by the faction, the former president has not publicly accepted the ticket or confirmed whether he intends to contest in 2027.
During a recent engagement with youth groups in Abuja, he reiterated that he could not make an immediate declaration, saying he would consult widely before deciding, while stressing that any return to the presidency would not be a hasty decision.
“Presidential race is not a computer game. But I’ve heard you and I’ll consult widely,” he said.
“I will consult. I cannot just wake up and say I want to be the president of Nigeria again. But I am telling you that I will consult. If there is a need to, I will wait,” he stated.
