The Taminu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said yesterday that all attempts to prevent former President Goodluck Jonathan from emerging as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election failed, insisting that the party successfully nominated him in accordance with its internal processes.

But Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, urged party members to abandon the culture of entitlement and prepare for the arduous political struggle required to reclaim power in 2027.

National Organising Secretary of the Turaki faction, Theophilus Shan, during the presentation of certificates of return to the party’s gubernatorial candidates in Abuja, said Jonathan duly purchased and completed the party’s nomination forms and was subsequently nominated despite efforts by unnamed interests to frustrate the process.

“We have a presidential candidate who bought the forms, who signed them. And we nominated him. All efforts to stop us from nominating him failed. We did nominate him,” Shan said.

He maintained that the party was fully prepared for the 2027 electoral contest, revealing that it had already produced candidates for several elective positions across the country.

Shan disclosed that the PDP would field 28 governorship candidates in states where elections would be conducted, alongside 109 senatorial candidates, 360 candidates for the House of Representatives and 993 candidates for the Houses of Assembly.

Turaki expressed confidence in Jonathan’s electoral prospects, declaring that no presidential candidate from any political party, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), could match the PDP flagbearer.

Speaking at the party’s 109th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, Wike challenged PDP leaders, candidates and stakeholders to embrace sacrifice, resilience and grassroots mobilisation.

He added, “Nobody gives power. Nobody has done it. Power is taken. If you do not struggle for it, it is your business. Nobody is ready to dash you power. You have to fight for it. You have to struggle for it.”

The former Rivers State governor likened the party’s present situation to that of a family facing hardship after years of abundance, saying many members became accustomed to enjoying the benefits of being in power and were unprepared for the realities of opposition politics.

“When PDP was in power, many people were like spoiled children who depended on what their father provided every day. Now that your father is sick, you think the whole world has ended. It cannot be so. Challenges are part of life, and you must rise to meet them,” he said.

Wike, who recounted his own political battles from local council elections to confrontations with the “federal might”, urged aspirants seeking elective offices to demonstrate courage rather than fear.

“If you want to be governor and you are waiting for the person in power to hand over power to you, then you are not ready. Organise yourself and fight more than you have ever fought. Leadership is not about titles; it is about sacrifice,” he stated. (The Guardian)

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