Jonathan, Other Free To Contest PDP Ticket – Turaki

The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tanimu Turaki, yesterday declared that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 election is open to all southern aspirants including former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Turaki stated this after the National Working Committee (NWC) and other party leaders met with former Vice President Architect Mohamed Nnamdi Sambo at his Abuja residence.

Turaki said the visit was to introduce the new party leadership to former Vice President.

He added that Sambo assured of his PDP membership and that very “soon he will become more active than he used to be.”

When asked if Jonathan will be contesting the party’s ticket in 2027, Turaki said, “You see, like I’ve always said, we in PDP have taking a decision to zone our presidential ticket to southern part of this country. For now, we do not know who may emerge as our candidate, even though we know those who will not be our candidates.

“Exactly. So it’s open for every member of PDP that is living in southern Nigeria or southern Nigeria descent.

“The process is going to be open, it’s going to be transparent, it’s going to be fair, it’s going to be equitable, and it’s going to create level playground for everybody.

“So if, for whatever reason, anybody wants to contest, we want to assure you, Nigerians, that you will be the deciders of who becomes your candidate,” he said.

On his reaction to the court judgement dismissing Samuel Anyanwu case at the FCT high court, he said “Yes. It is a vindication for us in the PDP family. We’ve said times and times again that the decision of the Supreme Court is sacrosanct. That our courts have no business meddling into matters that are purely political party matters. And that is why when some judges, who are judges of particular concern, have recently given judgments, doubling into issues they ordinarily should not double into, and given judgments, as it were, that cannot be rationalized by whatever level of argument you want to advance,  if anything, trying to smear the name of the judiciary as an impartial institution, which is the last hope of the common man.

“The judgment of Justice Umar today had vindicated us in PDP that, yes, we are the genuine leaders of PDP. Had vindicated us that, yes, our convention was legitimately done, had vindicated us that, indeed, people cannot just go in one corner and then begin to ascribe to themselves the leadership of a political party. This is not a market association, neither is it an association of shoe-shiners. This is a political party, and there must be discipline.”

Turaki, a senior lawyer, said the party will do all it can to ensure all its court papers are properly filed timeously in order to address other pending cases.

He said, “Now, you have an issue, for instance, while you are appealing to the Court of Appeal, or from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme court.

“Now, you will have your records transmitted. Thereafter, you file all your briefs and your opponents will also file.

“Now, when all briefs are in, then if, as in this case, there are cases that are of political nature, the president of the Court of Appeal may decide, in whichever division that this matter is domiciled. May decide to allow the local panel, panel there to do the case, or the president may decide to raise up a special panel.

“As it were, we do not have a hand in that. So we are now in a position where all briefs are in, and we’re waiting for the president of the Court of Appeals, in her own wisdom, to decide which panel, whether it’s going to be a local panel here in Abuja, or a special panel that will be set up that will now sit and determine these appeals.

“And again, whether these appeals will be taken simply, or they’re going to be consolidated by the Court of Appeals, is something that is absolutely within their discretion.

“But for us, we fulfill all righteousness. We’ve done everything that we need to do. We’re waiting for this to be given for us, for our lawyers to go and argue our appeals,” he said.