INEC Rejects PDP Faction’s Manual Submission of Goodluck Jonathan as 2027 Presidential Candidate
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed the claim by the Kabiru Turaki‑led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it manually submitted its list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, including former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate.
INEC stated that political parties are required to upload the names of their candidates via the commission’s designated electronic portal, raising doubts about the faction’s allegation that it was denied access codes and therefore turned to a manual submission.
Victoria Ita‑Messi, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, made these remarks in an interview with Leadership in Abuja on Friday. She said she could not confirm whether the faction had actually forwarded any candidate list, but stressed that manual submission contravenes the commission’s established procedures.
Ita‑Messi questioned the faction’s logic, asking how a list could be submitted if access to the electronic platform was truly denied. She also noted that the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, maintained that the manual filing complied with the Electoral Act 2026, while accusing INEC of bias in the ongoing PDP leadership dispute.
The PDP faction had claimed that its submitted list contained the names of Goodluck Jonathan for president, together with candidates for various governorship and National Assembly seats. It alleged that INEC withheld the necessary access codes, forcing it to resort to a manual process.
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