A group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has declared former President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Babangida Aliyu, a member of the faction’s presidential screening committee, shared the development on Tuesday during the screening process for aspirants held in Abuja.
Mr. Aliyu explained that the ex-president was exempted from appearing before the screening panel due to his extensive history in public office, which he noted automatically qualified him for the contest.
Read Also: APC Primaries: Senators Stranded, Lose Tickets As Anti-Defection Law Backfires
“The party had already given our presidential aspirant the waiver, like I said in the beginning that he was deputy governor, became governor, became vice president, became president so we didn’t see anything that needed screening and therefore the party had given him waiver.
“In other words, he had been declared and cleared as the candidate of the PDP for the presidential election and that is president Jonathan,” he said.
The group also revealed a screening exemption for Taofeek Arapaja, a member of its Interim National Working Committee, who is running in the Oyo State gubernatorial race.
As of the time this report was compiled, other governorship contenders who had been screened and approved by the panel include Myebangara Andrew from Adamawa State, Ikenya Danlami from Taraba State, Etanabene Benedict from Delta State, and Abdullahi Sheriff from Yobe State.
