PDP Faction Declares Goodluck Jonathan Candidate for 2027 Election

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared former President Goodluck Jonathan its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, granting him a waiver from the standard screening process. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Babangida Aliyu, the former governor of Niger State, who spoke on behalf of the party's screening committee in Abuja.

Aliyu stated that the committee, acting on behalf of former Vice President Namadi Sambo who chairs the panel, decided that Jonathan's extensive political experience rendered further screening unnecessary. "The party had already given the presidential aspirant a waiver," Aliyu said. "He was deputy governor, governor, vice-president, and later president, so we didn't see anything that needed screening." He confirmed that Jonathan has therefore been "cleared and declared as a candidate of the PDP for the presidential election."

The move by the faction, which is backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, comes amid reports that Jonathan did not appear to submit his nomination form as scheduled on Monday. Members of the committee reportedly waited for him until 4 p.m. before departing. Despite this absence, the faction...