.ex-president absent at the venue
By Our Reporter
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday emerged as the Presidential Candidate of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, for the 2027 General Elections.
The former president was absent at the event, but a reputedly close associate of his, Fred Agbedi, received the certificate of endorsement on his behalf.
The PDP faction took the decision after defying a heavy security presence that disrupted its planned special National Convention in Abuja.
The endorsement took place at an alternative venue after security operatives sealed off the A-Class Events Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja, where the convention was originally scheduled to be held.
Prominent party leaders at the event included former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana; former Senate President Adolphus Wabara; members of the Interim National Working Committee (NWC), state chairmen, and other stakeholders.
The ceremony, which lasted less than 20 minutes, culminated in the unanimous affirmation of former President Jonathan as the PDP flagbearer.
The faction alleged that the disruption of its convention was politically motivated, accusing the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of using state power to suppress opposition activities.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the convention and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party said it had fulfilled all legal requirements by notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant security agencies about the event.
The party said it had fully paid for the A-Class Event Centre and had already commenced preparations before the management allegedly informed it that the booking had been cancelled following threats from the FCT Administration.
"The management of the event centre informed us that they were invited and threatened that their Certificate of Occupancy would be revoked and the facility demolished if the PDP event was allowed to hold there," the statement said.
It further claimed that more than 20 truckloads of policemen were deployed around the venue on Friday night, effectively shutting down access to the facility and causing significant disruption to traffic in the area.
The party said following an emergency meeting involving members of the Board of Trustees (BOT), the National Executive Committee (NEC), gubernatorial candidates, National Assembly candidates, and other key stakeholders, its leadership decided against confronting security personnel at the venue, urging members to avoid actions that could lead to violence or public disorder.
"Consequently, the stakeholders proceeded with the endorsement of Jonathan at a different location, describing the exercise as the most important agenda item of the convention," the communique said.
The communique maintained that the endorsement was carried out in accordance with party procedures, with motions moved and seconded before Jonathan was unanimously affirmed as the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2027 poll.
While condemning what it described as "the brazen use of power" by officials of the current administration, PDP warned that actions aimed at restricting opposition activities could undermine Nigeria’s democratic system.
The faction also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take steps to reduce political tensions in the country and ensure that democratic freedoms, including the right of political parties to assemble were protected.
It argued that the PDP remained a formidable political force despite its internal leadership crisis and insisted that attempts to frustrate its activities reflected growing concern among political opponents about the party’s electoral prospects.
It would be recalled that while the faction that aligns with the FCT Minister, Nyesome Wike currently enjoys official recognition from INEC, the Turaki-led group insists it remained the legitimate leadership of the opposition party, citing recent court pronouncements in support of its position.
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