The Kabiru Tanimu Turaki’s faction of the Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has revealed why it submitted the name of its presidential candidate and former president, Goodluck Jonathan, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in manual form.
At a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday, the National Publicity Secretary of the INWC, Comrade Ini Ememobong, explained that Jonathan’s name was submitted alongside those of its governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026.
“Accordingly, we are pleased to announce that notwithstanding INEC’s refusal to provide us with the necessary access codes- which is an administrative convenience rather than a legal requirement, we have successfully submitted, manually and in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic Peoples Democratic Party.
That submission, containing the names of our Presidential Candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as all Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates-receipt of which was duly acknowledged by INEC.” the faction was partly quoted as saying.
The decision, according to the spokesperson, became necessary owing to INEC’s refusal to provide it with the necessary access codes, which, according to him, is an administrative and not legal convenience.
Left with no option, Ememobong said the faction went ahead to submit manually, an exercise he said has been acknowledged by the commission.
While expressing regrets over a Supreme Court judgment that had left its faction without a legally recognised national leadership, he said it is exhausting every constittutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that the party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party.
The party also lamented that despite receiving notification and several reminders ahead of the 2027 polls, INEC he expressed concerns further declined to accord the Interim National Working Committee the recognition warranted by extant judicial decisions.
Consequently, he said the faction approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, where it is seeking, among other reliefs, an order directing the Commission to recognise the Interim National Working Committee.
The spokesman stated further: ” The judgment delivered by Justice Salim Oluwasupo Ibrahim reads more like an appeal on the judgement of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
“It is clearly inconsistent with the extant decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal that form the foundation of our case. Rather than determine the question of enforcing those subsisting judgments, the decision, in our considered view, ventured into issues already settled by superior courts. It is for this reason that we have exercised our constitutional right of appeal.
“It is equally important to note that the Certified True Copy of the judgment was released after considerable delay. More significantly, the Certified True Copy did not fully reflect portions of the judgment as delivered in open court. This development raises legitimate concerns, which will also be addressed through the appropriate legal processes. We remain confident that the Court of Appeal will provide the necessary clarification and reaffirm the supremacy of the earlier decisions of the higher courts.
“Our decision to seek judicial intervention was, and remains, about preserving the integrity of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“In every matter involving our Party, including court proceedings before the Ibadan Convention, officials of the Commission withheld or failed to acknowledge material facts that would have assisted the courts in arriving at a just determination. Congresses conducted and monitored by INEC itself were subsequently denied or ignored because acknowledging them would have contradicted the narrative advanced before the courts.
“This pattern is particularly disturbing because the judiciary has, on several occasions, reminded the Commission that it owes every political party a duty of neutrality. Unfortunately, our experience has been otherwise. The Commission’s filings, its arguments before the courts, and its refusal to comply with court orders favourable to our Party have collectively created an impression of institutional bias that should concern every Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation.
“We sincerely hope that INEC, under the leadership of Professor Joash Amupitan, will adopt this prudent course. If, however, the Commission proceeds to publish the names of persons other than those validly sponsored by the authentic leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, it will only deepen public concerns regarding its neutrality and strengthen the perception that it is lending institutional support to individuals whose primary objective is to weaken the opposition from within.
It was in anticipation of this possibility that we recently met with our candidates, who overwhelmingly expressed complete confidence in the legal and constitutional processes already initiated by us, and reaffirmed their commitment to reclaiming the Party from those who seek to mortgage its future. Their resolve remains unwavering, and so does ours.
Ememobong has therefore reiterated the party’s readiness to remain willing and prepared to endure to the very end, saying the confident that when the difficult chapter is eventually closed, history will remember those who stood firmly for principle over expediency, courage over compromise, and democracy over convenience.