PDP faction convenes convention to ratify Jonathan as sole presidential candidate

The Turaki-led faction is proceeding with the ratification despite Mr Jonathan’s failure to publicly state whether he has accepted the nomination.

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki will on Saturday hold a special national convention in Abuja to ratify the nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

The planned convention was disclosed in a statement jointly signed on Thursday by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, and National Organising Secretary, Theophilus Shan.

The faction is proceeding with the ratification despite Mr Jonathan’s failure to publicly state whether he has accepted the nomination.

Two weeks ago, the group announced the adoption of the former president as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election, even though the faction is yet to be recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr Jonathan was also granted a waiver from appearing before the screening committee on account of his previous experience in public office, which the faction said automatically qualified him for the contest.

Mr Jonathan served as Nigeria’s vice president from 2007 to 2010 before succeeding the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua after his death in office. He became substantive president in 2010 and later won the 2011 presidential election under the PDP platform.

However, he lost his re-election bid in 2015 to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), amid public dissatisfaction over insecurity, corruption allegations and economic challenges.

His defeat marked the first time an incumbent president lost a presidential election in Nigeria. Mr Jonathan was widely commended both locally and internationally for conceding defeat and peacefully handing over power to the opposition.

Since leaving office, Mr Jonathan has largely positioned himself as an international statesman, leading election observation missions and mediation efforts across Africa.

Nonetheless, several political groups and supporters have repeatedly urged him to return to active politics and contest the presidency again, particularly ahead of the 2023 and now 2027 elections.

Supporters argue that Mr Jonathan remains one of the few Nigerian leaders with broad national appeal and international acceptance. Others, however, have advised him to stay away from partisan politics in order to preserve his image and legacy as an elder statesman.

The biggest legal issue surrounding Mr Jonathan’s possible candidacy is whether he is constitutionally qualified to contest another presidential election.

The controversy originated from the Fourth Alteration to the 1999 Constitution signed into law in 2018. Section 137(3) provides that a person sworn in twice as president cannot contest the office again.

Opponents of Mr Jonathan’s ambition argue that because he completed part of Mr Yar’Adua’s tenure after being sworn in as president in 2010 and later won the 2011 election, another attempt would amount to seeking a third presidential term.

His supporters, however, insist that the constitutional amendment cannot apply retroactively because the events in question occurred before the amendment became law.

The issue reached the courts in 2022 when a Federal High Court in Yenagoa ruled that Mr Jonathan remained eligible to contest the presidency. Justice Isa Dashen held that the constitutional amendment could not be applied retroactively to prevent him from seeking office.

On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit challenging Mr Jonathan’s candidacy, ruling that he is qualified to contest another election.