• Dismisses Gana’s claim on Jonathan getting PDP’s ticket
• No automatic ticket for Jonathan, group says
In a dramatic escalation of internal discord within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Working Committee (NWC), led by the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, has rejected the conduct and outcome of the state congress held in Cross River on Saturday, September 27, 2025, outright.
The party also dissociated from recent comments by former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana, that former President Goodluck Jonathan would contest and win the 2027 presidential election on the PDP platform.
Relatedly, the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) said the party’s presidential ticket for 2027 would not be served Jonathan on a platter.
Addressing journalists at a briefing in Abuja, yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, declared that the Cross River congress was a “nullity”, as it was not sanctioned by the NWC, and therefore lacked legitimacy.
“The NWC had postponed congresses in Cross River, Plateau and Kebbi states. That decision stands. The purported congress in Calabar is nothing more than a political carnival. It is not recognised by this party,” Ologunagba stated.
In a scathing rebuke, Ologunagba added: “People go to Calabar to drink brandy and have a good time. That is not a congress. There was no approved electoral panel from the NWC, no appeal panel, no valid process. What happened in Calabar, if it happened at all, is a hallucination – not a congress.”
Despite the NWC’s official position, a state congress reportedly went ahead in Calabar on Saturday, during which Venatius Ikem was re-elected as Chairman alongside 38 other members of the State Executive Committee (SEC).
The event was observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), among other key statutory bodies.
Two separate letters were sent to INEC: one from
Damagum announced the postponement of congresses in the three states, and another from the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, insisted the congresses would proceed as scheduled.
While Anyanwu cited constitutional provisions requiring the joint signatures of the chairman and secretary for such communications to be valid, the Damagum-led NWC insists the collective decision of the committee supersedes any individual correspondence.
“This party is not governed by personal whims. The NWC sat, deliberated and voted overwhelmingly to postpone the congresses. That is the position of the party,” Ologunagba declared.
Reacting to Gana’s claims, Ologunagba said:
“That is entirely Prof Jerry Gana’s opinion. He does not speak for the PDP. President Jonathan remains a respected member of our party, but he has not declared any intention to run in 2027.”
According to him, PDP boasts a pool of “eminently qualified” leaders, especially at the gubernatorial level, who have demonstrated effective governance and are capable of leading the nation.
With the PDP’s national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, the ongoing crises in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi pose significant risks.
ALSO, GHSM National Coordinator, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, stressed that the PDP flagbearer would only emerge through an open and transparent process in line with the Electoral Act 2022.
“With due respect, Prof Gana is entitled to his enthusiasm about the return of Jonathan. However, only PDP delegates to the national convention can pick the party’s flagbearer, and ultimately, God Almighty will determine the outcome, not a few party stalwarts,” Hamzat stated.
Hamzat argued that Nigerians were yearning for progress, not a return to the past, warning that Jonathan represented an “old order” many citizens were ready to consign to history.
“The Jonathan era cannot be painted as a perfect time. It was a period the diversity of our nation began to be deeply mismanaged, rekindling ethnic tensions and religious bigotry, a legacy that has unfortunately worsened under subsequent governments,” he added. “If President Jonathan desires a return to Aso Rock, he must be ready to square up with nationally unifying aspirants such as Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim in an open and transparent primary.”
