The Peoples Democratic Party has disowned former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, over his claim that former President Goodluck Jonathan will be the party’s presidential candidate in the 2027 election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said Gana lacked the mandate to speak for the party, stressing that the PDP has competent governors and other members capable of flying its flag in 2027.
“Professor Jerry Gana doesn’t speak for the PDP. People can express their opinions, but I will emphasise this: the PDP has eminently qualified Nigerians, particularly at the governors’ level, who have shown capacity through their performances in their states. That is the DNA of the PDP,” Ologunagba said.
Gana had at the weekend in Minna told reporters that Jonathan would contest the 2027 presidency on the PDP platform, saying Nigerians wanted him back after their experiences under former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu.
The PDP spokesman, however, said the party remains focused on its convention and would address the issue of presidential ticket at the appropriate time.
On the state congress reportedly held in Cross River on Saturday, Ologunagba dismissed it as a sham, insisting it was not authorised by the National Working Committee.
“Clearly, there was no state congress in Cross River. The party has a process. The NWC did not constitute an electoral panel. What happened was just a gathering that looked like a carnival. If people went there to drink and enjoy themselves, that’s their business, but it was not a congress,” he said.
He explained that the congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi had been postponed, adding that disciplinary measures would be taken against those who attempted to hold unauthorised exercises.
