Turaki Upbeat As Jonathan Meets Peoples Democratic Party Officials

The Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that former President Goodluck Jonathan is set to play a more active role in the party.

Turaki stated this after a closed-door meeting the NWC had with the former  president where, according to him, party and national issues were discussed.

Turaki, accompanied by the entire NWC and a few selected state chairmen, arrived at Jonathan’s office in Maitama, Abuja, around 5:45 pm in six SUV jeeps.

Speaking after the meeting, Turaki said the NWC came to introduce itself to Jonathan and to tell him what it has been doing since they entered office after the National Convention that was held last November in Ibadan.

He said they briefed the former president on the state of the party, the challenges, the prospects, and in this visit, adding that they solicited the former president’s support, guidance and advice.

He said they have the former president’s “assurance that he’s still an active, card-carrying member of PDP, and will even be more active these days in the activities and affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party.”

He added, “And he has assured us that PDP has done everything for him that can be done to an individual, and that he still feels that he remains obligated to PDP.”

Turaki said the former president’s remarks and statements are reassuring, encouraging as “we begin to prepare for elections, off-season elections in Ekiti and Osun this year and  the general election that are coming in 2027.”

Turaki said PDP remains the most veritable platform for standing and winning elections in Nigeria, adding that it is still the leading opposition party in this country.

Reacting to concerns over recognition of PDP’s candidate in Ekiti election, Turaki said the party  does not have a problem with the recognition with regards to INEC.

He said they had sent notice of primaries to elect a gubernatorial flag bearer in Ekiti State to INEC, and that the commission followed, attended,  and monitored wrote a report.

“INEC also gave us the password to access their portal to upload the data of our candidate and his running mate. And we duly accessed and then were able now to download the forms for our candidate.

“ We gave it to him, he printed and we now submitted. Somewhere along the line, and I hate to say this but I must say it, somewhere along the line INEC now blocked us from accessing the platform again to upload that data. But we had done manual submission to INEC. Which INEC has collected.”

He also said the party told INEC about the party’s primaries in Osun State, adding “INEC sent their team, they attended, they monitored our primaries, and they wrote a report. And the candidate had emerged.”

Turaki, who stated that INEC recognises his leadership of PDP leadership, however said “there are certain events that are beginning to raise doubt in our minds and in the minds of other people, whether this present INEC leadership is indeed independent.”