2027: INEC Rejects Jonathan’s Presidential Election Nomination

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the presidential nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2027 general election submitted by the Taminu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The electoral commission said the nomination did not comply with its regulations because it was submitted manually instead of through the commission’s designated online nomination portal.

The development followed an announcement by the Turaki faction that it had submitted Jonathan’s nomination alongside the names of its governorship, National Assembly and state assembly candidates.

According to the faction, the documents were delivered manually after it was allegedly denied access to INEC’s electronic candidate nomination platform.

Reacting to the development, INEC dismissed the submission and reiterated that political parties must strictly comply with its prescribed nomination procedures.

The commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said candidate nominations can only be processed through the official electronic portal provided by INEC.

She stressed that the commission does not recognise manual submission of candidates under its current regulations.

“Submission is only done on a dedicated portal as stipulated by our regulations and guidelines,” she said.

The commission’s position effectively invalidates the nomination submitted by the Turaki faction and raises further uncertainty over the status of candidates presented by the group.

The decision is expected to intensify the internal dispute within the PDP, where different factions have continued to lay claim to the party’s leadership and organisational structure.

Political observers believe the latest development could complicate preparations for the 2027 elections if the leadership crisis remains unresolved.

The Turaki faction has yet to indicate whether it will challenge INEC’s decision or seek alternative means of validating its candidates.

Meanwhile, INEC maintained that all political parties are required to comply fully with the commission’s guidelines to ensure transparency and uniformity in the nomination process.

The commission has repeatedly emphasised that its electronic nomination platform is the only recognised channel for submitting candidates for elections.

The rejection of Jonathan’s nomination marks another chapter in the ongoing leadership disagreements within the PDP as different factions continue to contest authority over the party’s affairs.

With the 2027 election cycle gathering momentum, attention is expected to shift to how the affected faction responds to INEC’s decision and whether it can regularise its nominations in line with the commission’s electoral regulations.