The Peoples Democratic Party faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has protested the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to grant the party’s candidate nomination upload code to the PDP leadership backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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The National Publicity Secretary of the Wike-backed PDP leadership, Jungudo Mohammed, said INEC had issued the access code for uploading the party’s 2027 candidates to the National Working Committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.
He described the development as further confirmation of the legitimacy of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led NWC.
The dispute is the latest twist in the prolonged PDP leadership crisis, which has left the party with two rival structures claiming authority ahead of the next general elections.
The Supreme Court, in a split decision delivered on April 30, nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16. The convention, backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, had produced the Turaki-led leadership.
Following the judgment, the party’s Board of Trustees chaired by Adolphus Wabara reappointed Turaki and other members into an Interim National Working Committee. The group has since continued to operate alongside the PDP leadership recognised by INEC and aligned with Wike.
The Abdulrahman Mohammed-led NWC, with Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, proceeded with the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms to aspirants seeking the party’s tickets for the 2027 elections.
Its activities were also monitored by INEC in line with statutory requirements.
The Turaki-led faction, however, also issued nomination forms to prospective candidates, despite not enjoying INEC recognition and without the commission monitoring its activities or primary elections.
Reacting to INEC’s release of the upload code to the Wike-backed leadership, Mohammed said the development had exposed the Turaki faction.
He said, “Unfortunately for them, lies have an expiry date, and INEC has issued us the codes to upload the names of our candidates. We have been duly recognised by the electoral umpire, which is very important.
“Nigerians have known that Turaki and his friends are just noisemakers. Let them continue. There is a Hausa adage that describes that when a local barber is about to finish, that is when it pains most.
“It is time that everything will finally be open for the general public to see; that is why it is paining them the most. They are losing on all fronts, and that is why they are pushing hard to save themselves from imminent disgrace.
“The activities of Turaki and others are not affecting our activities in any way. They have not constituted any stumbling block to our operations. For those who remain confused or misdirected, it is because they have chosen to be so. The facts are very clear.”
On the delay in releasing the candidates’ list, Mohammed said the party was still handling appeals arising from the nomination process.
According to him, the appeal hearings would hold on June 8, 9 and 10 to ensure fair play and internal democracy.
“As soon as the appeals process is concluded and INEC ratifies the names of the elected candidates, we will make it public,” he added.
But the spokesperson of the Turaki-led faction, Ini Ememobong, dismissed the significance of INEC’s action, insisting that recognition by the commission was only administrative.
Ememobong said the faction had not been given any upload code but remained confident that its candidates would eventually be recognised and uploaded as PDP candidates.
He argued that INEC had previously recognised candidates after initial disputes in Ekiti and Osun states, adding that the same could happen in the present case.
“We have not been given any code. But when we finished our primaries in Ekiti, we had our candidates. When we finished primaries in Osun, our candidates were recognised. So, if they have the code, what are they afraid of?” he said.
“So, the issue of INEC recognition is administrative. There are candidates that INEC did not recognise at the initial stage, whose names are now on the portal.
“This is a marathon. No one is in doubt that we are not running a sprint; we are using a marathon mentality for it. This may take time. Darkness may be everywhere, but when light shines, weeping will stop, and darkness will evacuate.”
Ememobong also rejected claims that the leadership crisis discouraged aspirants from buying nomination forms from the Turaki-led faction.
He said many aspirants purchased the faction’s forms because they were convinced they would ultimately emerge as PDP candidates.
“So, the question you should ask is: if you have the codes, why are you worried? They say people won’t buy our forms, but so many people did, because they know that in the end they will be candidates of the PDP.
“So, we have not been given any code, and we are not worried, because in the end, our candidates will be uploaded as PDP candidates,” he added.
The development deepens uncertainty within the PDP as both camps continue to claim legitimacy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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