The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from comments by former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, suggesting that former President Goodluck Jonathan would be the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said Gana had no authority to speak for the party.
“Professor Jerry Gana doesn’t speak for the PDP. People can express their opinion, but in this party, as of today, President Jonathan is a member and has not declared any interest. The PDP has eminently qualified Nigerians, particularly among our governors, who have demonstrated capacity and performance,” Ologunagba said.
He stressed that the party remained focused on its internal processes and would address the issue of its presidential ticket at the appropriate time.
At the weekend, Gana had told party members in Minna that Jonathan would contest in 2027 on the PDP platform, citing Nigerians’ dissatisfaction with the Buhari and Tinubu administrations.
Meanwhile, the PDP has also dismissed claims that a state congress took place in Calabar, Cross River State, over the weekend. Ologunagba described the purported exercise as a “hallucination,” insisting that the National Working Committee (NWC) had not constituted any electoral panel to conduct a congress in the state.
“Clearly, there’s no State Congress held in Cross River for the PDP. What some people did there looked more like a pre-carnival gathering. This party has a process, and no such congress was authorised,” he said.
He added that the Cross River congress, along with those of Plateau and Kebbi States, had been postponed. On possible sanctions for the organisers, Ologunagba said the party would take appropriate disciplinary measures to maintain order and responsibility within its ranks.
