By Desire Emmanuel
Despite his absence at the event, the Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday, May 30, ratified former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 polls.
The party said his candidacy was ratified following the acceptance and support Jonathan received across the 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Jonathan’s certificate of return was presented to former minister, Professor Jerry Gana, to be delivered to the former president.
At the event, the motion to ratify Jonathan was moved by the Chairman of the Forum of PDP State Chairmen, Dr Dr Tony Aziegbemi, and was seconded by a former Minister for Aviation, Sanusi Dagash.
Aziegbemi, while moving the motion, said that the party, having conducted its primaries across the states, arrived at a collective decision to ratify Jonathan as its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
However, before the ratification, there was tension as the convention was originally scheduled to be held at the A Class Event Centre in Maitama, Abuja, but the venue was cordoned off as early as 6:00 a.m. by the police and other security operatives.While the security men prevented access to the venue, the Chairman of the Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the PDP, Tanimu Turaki, led party faithful to a premises in the Garki Area 10 where the ratification was eventually done.
It will be recalled that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, had during the week threatened to revoke the land titles of any event centre or hotel in the city that allows political parties not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to host events in its premises.
With the ratification of Jonathan, the PDP now has two presidential candidates as the Wike’s faction had on Wednesday, May 27 in another convention affirmed a former senator, Sandy Ojang Onor, as its candidate.
