A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP is scheduled to hold a Special National Convention on Saturday to formally ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The convention is to take place at the ‘A’ Class Event Centre, Kassim Ibrahim Way, Wuse 2, Abuja, beginning at 10am.
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The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, and its National Organising Secretary, Theophilus Dakas Shan, signed the invitation to the event which was made available to PUNCH Online on Thursday.
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.
Saturday’s convention follows a sequence of steps by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction to position Jonathan as its flag-bearer.
The faction’s screening committee had, on May 19, granted Jonathan a waiver and cleared him as its sole presidential aspirant.
Former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, who chaired the screening committee, said the party decided to grant the waiver based on Jonathan’s political record spanning deputy governor, governor, vice president, and president.
The faction then held its presidential primary on Wednesday, May 28, ahead of Saturday’s ratification exercise.
The Federal High Court in Abuja also declared Jonathan eligible to participate in the 2027 presidential election on Tuesday, a ruling that drew a positive reaction from the Turaki-led faction.
Justice Peter Lifu held that a plaintiff who had sought to bar Jonathan from contesting lacked the legal right to institute the suit, as he had not suffered any loss from the former president’s perceived intention to run.
The judge noted that both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and a Court of Appeal had already held that Jonathan was eligible, and described the suit as an abuse of court process.
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Reacting to the ruling, the PDP said laws could not have retroactive or retrospective effect and described the suit as vexatious and a gross abuse of court processes.
It added that the judgment, combined with the screening waiver earlier granted to Jonathan, had cleared the path for his participation in its presidential primary.
Jonathan had earlier told a group of supporters urging him to contest in 2027 that he was still consulting, saying the presidential race was not a computer game.
Jonathan, who served as president from 2010 to 2015, peacefully conceded defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 election.
As of the time of filing this report, Jonathan had not made any public statement accepting the nomination or confirming his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election.
However, the former president has yet to publicly accept the nomination or confirm his intention to contest.
When youth groups visited him at his Abuja office earlier this month to urge him to enter the race, Jonathan said the presidential contest was not a computer game and that he would consult widely before taking any decision.
“Presidential race is not a computer game. But I’ve heard you and I’ll consult widely,” he said.
Jonathan reiterated the position at the close of the meeting, saying he could not simply wake up and declare his intention to seek the presidency again.
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“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.
Punch