A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, has announced plans to hold a special national convention in Abuja on Saturday to ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

The development was disclosed in a statement jointly signed on Thursday by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, and National Organising Secretary, Theophilus Shan.

According to the group, the convention will formally endorse Mr Jonathan despite the former president not publicly declaring interest in the race or accepting the nomination.

The faction had earlier announced the adoption of Mr Jonathan as its preferred candidate for the 2027 presidential election, although the group is yet to receive official recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It also granted the former president a waiver from appearing before its screening committee, citing his previous experience in public office as sufficient qualification for the contest.

Mr Jonathan served as Nigeria’s vice president between 2007 and 2010 before assuming office as president following the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He later won the 2011 presidential election on the PDP platform.

However, he lost his re-election bid in 2015 to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), becoming the first incumbent Nigerian president to lose a presidential election.

Since leaving office, Mr. Jonathan has remained active in international diplomacy, participating in election observation and mediation missions across Africa.

His possible return to partisan politics has continued to generate debate, with supporters urging him to contest again while others advise him to maintain his role as an elder statesman.

The question of his constitutional eligibility to seek another term has also remained a subject of legal and political discussions.

Opponents argue that Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended in 2018, disqualifies anyone sworn in twice as president from contesting again. They contend that Mr Jonathan completed part of Mr Yar’Adua’s tenure before winning a fresh term in 2011.

However, supporters insist the constitutional provision cannot apply retroactively because the amendment came into effect after the events in question.

In 2022, a Federal High Court in Yenagoa ruled that Mr Jonathan remained eligible to contest the presidency, holding that the constitutional amendment could not be applied retroactively.

Similarly, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit challenging his eligibility and affirmed that he could legally contest another presidential election.