Abdulrahman Mohammed, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the party’s nominations at all levels went well.
He did not talk about the exclusion of Ladi Adebutu, the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, from the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mr Mohammed praised the party’s state chairmen for successfully nominating candidates for the 2027 general election. He expressed hope that PDP candidates would win in all the categories they are contesting in 2027. This comes even as the party supports the Rainbow Coalition, campaigning for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
He spoke during a meeting with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and state chairmen at the PDP secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.
“I want to use this opportunity to also appreciate the state chairmen across the federation for the successful nomination of our candidates for the state assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship across the 36 states.
“I want to thank you for making sure that we have a smooth process across the 36 states to enable us to come out with these successful candidates. We pray that, come 2027, our candidates will win in all the positions they are vying for,” he said.
Mr Mohammed maintained that the NWC is the party’s leadership overseeing its activities nationwide. He promised to work hard to ensure the success of PDP candidates in the 2027 elections.
“The National Working Committee of our great party remains the leadership of PDP, which oversees the affairs of the party in the federation.
“We are all charged with the responsibility to ensure that, under my leadership, the National Secretary and other members of the National Working Committee, we will do everything possible for the outcome of the 2027 election to be a starting point for success for our dear nation,” he said.
No Mention of Adebutu
Mr Mohammed did not mention the exclusion of Mr Adebutu, the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, from INEC’s list of candidates for the 2027 elections.
Currently, the party has no governorship candidate recognized by INEC in Ogun State.
The Supreme Court, on 24 September, upheld parts of the Electoral Act 2026 that require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within a specific time.
Under Section 77(5) of the Act, only party members listed in the membership register submitted to INEC on time can take part in party primaries. Section 77(7) states that a party that fails to submit its register on time cannot field candidates.
INEC initially left out Mr Adebutu and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, from its final list of governorship candidates published on 10 October. The commission later explained that the exclusions happened because the parties did not meet the membership-register requirements.
But the PDP and Mr Adebutu rejected these claims, insisting that he was a registered party member and had completed his registration on time.
INEC confirmed Mr Pantami as the governorship candidate for Gombe State but did not add Mr Adebutu to the list after rejecting his petition against his exclusion. There are rumors that the petition was turned down because the PDP did not include his name in the original list sent to the commission.
Meanwhile, Austin Nwachukwu, chairperson of the PDP State Chairmen Forum, promised the forum’s loyalty to the NWC led by Mr Mohammed.
Mr Nwachukwu, who is also the PDP chairman in Imo State, claimed that some governors were intimidating the party’s candidates because they are popular.
He mentioned Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru as one of those allegedly intimidating PDP candidates.
According to him, the forum has prepared a petition to submit to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, about this issue.
Mr Nwachukwu said the forum will not allow any of its candidates to be harassed or intimidated.
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