The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed reports of a planned convention aimed at affirming former President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, described the proposed convention as false, misleading and a deliberate attempt to create political tension in the country.
According to Mohammed, no organ of the party has approved or scheduled any convention, meeting or process to endorse Jonathan for the presidency. He maintained that the party had already concluded its statutory primary elections for all elective positions, including the presidency, in line with the Electoral Act, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines and the party’s constitution.
“The PDP wishes to categorically state that no such convention, meeting or affirmation process has been scheduled, approved or endorsed by the leadership or any recognised organ of the party,” he said.
He urged party members, supporters and the general public to disregard the reports, describing them as unauthorised and intended to cause confusion within the political space.
Mohammed also called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly distance himself from the reported convention in order to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process and protect his reputation.
The PDP spokesman further urged security agencies to investigate those responsible for spreading the reports and warned that the party would not tolerate unauthorised political activities carried out in its name.
He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to internal democracy, due process and the rule of law, advising the public to rely only on official party channels for information regarding PDP affairs.
The development follows reports that a rival PDP faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, had scheduled a convention in Abuja to endorse Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Meanwhile, the Mohammed-led National Working Committee had earlier endorsed former Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate for the next general election.
As of the time of filing this report, Jonathan had not publicly commented on the claims regarding a possible 2027 presidential bid.