ABUJA — The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dramatic turn as a major faction announced a Special National Convention to formally ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The high-stakes event is scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the A-Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ini Ememobong, and the National Organising Secretary, Hon. Theophilus Dakas Shan, confirmed that the sole agenda of the special convention is the formal adoption and ratification of the former president.
The faction, led by former Minister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki and strongly backed by a camp aligned with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, has moved swiftly to position Jonathan as its sole flagbearer. The group’s National Screening Committee, chaired by former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, had earlier cleared the former president and granted him a comprehensive political waiver, bypassing the standard screening processes due to his extensive statecraft experience.
This rapid mobilization follows a massive legal victory for the Jonathan camp. On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a lawsuit filed by a legal practitioner seeking to bar Jonathan from contesting the 2027 election. The court ruled that the former president is constitutionally eligible to run, effectively clearing the final legal hurdle for his political comeback.
While the Turaki-led interim management committee works aggressively to finalize the historic endorsement, the development has further exposed deep cleavages within Nigeria’s main opposition party, as the national leadership of the PDP has yet to universally endorse the faction’s actions.
