Wike-Backed PDP Screens Sandy Onor, 25 Governorship Aspirants Ahead Of 2027 Polls

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has screened its sole presidential aspirant, Sandy Onor, alongside 25 governorship aspirants from 17 states ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The screening exercise took place on Thursday at the PDP Legacy House in Abuja as the faction intensified preparations for its primary elections.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, the faction said the exercise followed the resolution of the party’s leadership crisis by the Supreme Court, which reportedly affirmed the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee.

According to the statement, the presidential screening committee was chaired by former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, while former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, headed the governorship screening committee.
“The PDP will screen only one presidential candidate and 25 governorship aspirants from 17 states,” the statement said.
“Others are still perfecting their documentation fo
r another screening opportunity.”
Speaking after the screening, Onor defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, describing it as a bold move that released funds for national development.

“Nigerians universally agreed that subsidy was a problem and a bastion of corruption,” he said.

“This president came on his very first day in office, removed the subsidy and released a lot of funds for development.”

The presidential aspirant, however, stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the funds generated from the policy.

One of the governorship aspirants from Plateau State, Kefiano Ropshik, said his screening and clearance marked another major step in his ambition to govern the state.

“Earlier today, I was at PDP Secretariat, Wadata Plaza for my screening exercise, another significant stride in this noble journey to serve the good people of Plateau State as their Governor,” he said.

“The vision is clear, the resolve is unwavering, and the mission continues.”
Also speaking, Nasarawa governorship aspirant, David Ombugadu, maintained that he won the 2019 and 2023 governorship elections in the state, citing results uploaded on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s iREV portal.

Ombugadu called on the media and civil society organisations to play stronger roles in safeguarding electoral votes during future elections.

Other governorship aspirants screened by the party include Kelechi Anosike and Onuogbu Ogba from Abia State; Kayode Ogunshola and Hazeem Gbolarumi from Oyo State; Samson Nnamani from Enugu State; Mustapha Lamido from Jigawa State; Oladimeji Hassan and Suleiman Kawu from Kwara State; Alex Ladan from Plateau State; Adamu Ahmed from Bauchi State; Mohammed Bello from Kano State; and David Emmanuel from Nasarawa State.

The faction said its governorship primaries are scheduled to hold on May 24, while the presidential primary election will take place on May 26 ahead of the 2027 general elections.