…Turaki-Led PDP Demands INEC Recognition; To Return to Supreme Court for Legal Interpretation of Judgment
Nearly a week after former President Goodluck Jonathan was formally adopted as the sole presidential candidate of the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and issued a certificate of return for the 2027 presidential election, the former Nigerian leader has remained conspicuously silent, even as fresh legal battles over his eligibility and the leadership of the opposition party gather momentum.
Jonathan’s refusal to publicly acknowledge, accept or reject the nomination has continued to fuel speculation across the political spectrum. The former president was notably absent from the ceremony where the Turaki-led PDP presented him with a certificate of return, and no statement has been issued either by him or any authorised spokesman since the development.
While supporters of the faction insist that Jonathan’s silence reflects strategic caution and ongoing consultations, others argue that the former president may be reluctant to become entangled in the deepening leadership crisis rocking the PDP. Since leaving office in 2015, Jonathan has largely cultivated the image of an elder statesman, focusing on international diplomacy, election observation missions and peace-building initiatives rather than active partisan politics.
The uncertainty surrounding his political intentions comes as an Abuja-based lawyer, Jideobi Johnmary, has formally approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared Jonathan constitutionally qualified to contest the presidency again in 2027.
Johnmary is asking the appellate court to set aside the May 26 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, arguing that the trial judge erred by hearing both a motion seeking his recusal and the substantive suit simultaneously before delivering a composite ruling. According to the appellant, the procedure violated his constitutional right to a fair hearing and rendered the proceedings a nullity.
The appellant further contended that a recusal application, which directly challenges a judge’s impartiality and competence to hear a matter, ought to have been determined before the substantive case proceeded. He also challenged the N20 million cost awarded against him in Jonathan’s favour, describing it as excessive, punitive, and inconsistent with established principles governing judicial costs.
Johnmary is therefore seeking an order remitting the suit to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge for a fresh hearing. Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation have been listed as respondents in the appeal, although a hearing date has yet to be fixed.
Meanwhile, the legal dispute over the authentic leadership of the PDP has taken another twist, with the Turaki-led faction insisting that it remains the legitimate authority within the party and demanding immediate recognition from INEC.
In a detailed legal brief circulated to KTH Daily by PDP chieftain and former Senior Special Assistant on Media to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Umar Sani, the faction challenged claims by the rival Nyesom Wike-aligned bloc that a Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Uche Agomoh conferred legitimacy on a caretaker committee established under Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
According to Sani, the issue of recognition was never one of the questions submitted to the court for determination, arguing that the relief originally sought was merely an order compelling INEC to recognise the outcome of the Ibadan Convention. He maintained that subsequent judicial developments, particularly a Court of Appeal judgment nullifying the convention, fundamentally altered the legal landscape.
Sani further argued that the appellate court’s findings regarding the suspension of former National Legal Adviser A.K. Ajibade undermined the legal foundation of actions taken by officials whose authority depended on their standing within the party. He contended that once the court found Ajibade lacked authority to act on behalf of the PDP while under suspension, the validity of decisions flowing from such authority became vulnerable to challenge.
The Turaki faction also maintains that the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the Wike bloc’s cross-appeal effectively returned both factions to the status quo ante, eliminating any special legal advantage previously claimed by either side. Following that development, the faction said it secured the support of more than two-thirds of National Executive Committee members and convened what it described as a valid NEC meeting which established an Interim National Working Committee.
According to Sani, the group has formally written to INEC demanding compliance with what it interprets as the effect of the Supreme Court judgment. He argued that the electoral commission lacks constitutional authority to determine the authentic leadership of political parties, citing recent Supreme Court decisions involving the Social Democratic Party.
He disclosed that if INEC refuses to recognise the Turaki-led structure, the faction is prepared to return to the Supreme Court to seek a definitive interpretation of the judgment and its implications for the PDP’s leadership dispute.