AfriPulse
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to hold a Special National Convention on Saturday in Abuja to formally ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, signalling a major step in the build-up to the next presidential race.
The convention, scheduled for the A-Class Event Centre, Wuse 2, Abuja, is expected to begin by 10am. An invitation jointly signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, and National Organising Secretary, Theophilus Dakas Shan, 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.”
Saturday’s event follows a series of political moves by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction to position Jonathan as its presidential flagbearer. Earlier, the faction’s screening committee granted the former president a waiver and cleared him as its sole aspirant.
Chairman of the screening committee and former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, said the decision was based on Jonathan’s extensive political record as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president.
Jonathan’s possible return to the presidential contest received another legal boost on Tuesday after a Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed his eligibility to contest the 2027 election. Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the plaintiff seeking to stop Jonathan lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, noting that both the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had already upheld his eligibility.
The ruling was welcomed by the faction, which argued that laws cannot operate retroactively and described the case against Jonathan as “vexatious and a gross abuse of court processes.”
Despite the growing political push, Jonathan has yet to publicly accept the nomination or confirm plans to run. When youth groups visited him earlier this month at his Abuja office to urge him to join the race, the former president made clear that he was still weighing his options.
“Presidential race is not a computer game. But I’ve heard you and I’ll consult widely,” Jonathan told the delegation.
He reinforced that position at the close of the meeting, insisting that a decision of such magnitude required careful reflection.
“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 said.
Jonathan, who served as president from 2010 to 2015 and won international praise for conceding defeat after the 2015 election, now finds himself once again at the centre of Nigeria’s evolving political equation, even as uncertainty remains over whether he will formally accept the renewed call to return to the ballot.
Source: SunNewsOnline | Read the Full Story…
