The deepening leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns that the main opposition party could face legal obstacles to fielding candidates in the 2027 general elections if its internal disputes remain unresolved, drawing comparisons with the political crises that affected parties in Zamfara and Rivers states.
The concern follows the announcement by a faction of the PDP led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), that it has submitted the names of former President Goodluck Jonathan and other candidates for the 2027 general elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while simultaneously filing an appeal against a recent Federal High Court judgment on the party’s leadership dispute.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee (INWC), Comrade Ini Ememobong, maintained that the faction constituted the authentic leadership of the PDP and validly nominated Jonathan as its presidential candidate alongside governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates nationwide.
Ememobong explained that the interim leadership emerged after what he described as a Supreme Court judgment that left the PDP without a legally recognised national leadership. According to him, the party’s Board of Trustees and a member-requisitioned National Executive Committee subsequently constituted the Interim National Working Committee and communicated the decision to INEC.
He accused INEC of refusing to recognise the interim leadership despite what he claimed were subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal supporting the faction’s position.
The faction also challenged the judgment of Justice Salim Oluwasupo Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, arguing that the trial court delved into issues already settled by superior courts instead of enforcing existing judgments.
“We have exercised our constitutional right of appeal because the judgment is inconsistent with the extant decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal upon which our case is founded,” Ememobong said.
He further alleged irregularities in the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment and insisted the matter would form part of the grounds of appeal.
The PDP spokesman also accused INEC of failing to remain neutral, alleging that the electoral commission had ignored material facts and declined to recognise congresses it monitored whenever such recognition would contradict its legal position.
According to him, although INEC declined to provide the access codes required for electronic submission, the faction manually submitted its list of candidates in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, adding that the commission acknowledged receipt of the documents.
He urged INEC not to recognise any candidates other than those submitted by the interim leadership pending the determination of the appeal.
The development has revived memories of the political crises in Zamfara State and Rivers State, where prolonged disputes over party leadership and candidate nominations resulted in legal battles that prevented or jeopardised parties’ participation in elections.
Legal observers say that unless the PDP resolves its leadership crisis before INEC’s statutory deadlines for candidate nominations, the party could face similar challenges that may affect the validity of its candidates for the 2027 polls.
Ememobong, however, expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would rule in favour of the faction, insisting that its struggle was aimed at preserving constitutional democracy and preventing what he described as attempts to weaken Nigeria’s main opposition party.
“With God on our side, victory is certain, even if delayed. We remain committed to pursuing every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked,” he said.
About Author
