PDP Crisis: Wike Loyalists Urge Jonathan to Reject Turaki Faction Nomination
State chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who support Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike have called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly distance himself from the Kabiru Turaki‑led faction.
The Turaki‑aligned group declared Jonathan its presidential candidate after ratifying his nomination at a special national convention held in Abuja. Jonathan did not attend the gathering; his certificate of return was collected on his behalf by Bayelsa State lawmaker Fred Agbedi.
Though Jonathan has met with members of the faction, he has not yet issued a public acceptance or rejection of the nomination.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Austin Nwachukwu, chairman of the Wike‑backed PDP State Chairmen’s Forum, urged Jonathan to clarify his stance.
“We call on you, in view of the global image and moral authority you command, to address Nigerians directly and disassociate yourself from the continuous use of your name in this spectacle of macabre dance by expelled PDP members,” Nwachukwu said.
The Imo State PDP chairman added that the Turaki faction is exploiting Jonathan’s reputation to further its own political agenda.
“It is public knowledge that your name is being used by these shameless people to perpetuate their ignoble activities. This must stop,” he said.
“Silence in the face of such misuse damages not just the party, but your own legacy of peace and statesmanship.”
Nwachukwu alleged that the Turaki‑led group manually submitted Jonathan’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after claiming the commission refused to provide the required electronic access codes.
He described the manual submission as a breach of the electoral process and asserted that Turaki and members of the interim caretaker committee had been expelled from the PDP, thus lacking any authority to act on the party’s behalf.
According to Nwachukwu, the faction is conducting “a sustained campaign of impersonation and deliberate distortion of court judgments” to portray itself as a parallel national leadership.
He insisted that the PDP has only one legally recognised leadership, headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed as national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary.
Nwachukwu urged the party’s National Working Committee to initiate contempt proceedings and other legal actions against the Turaki faction.
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