The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed claims that it is stopping presidential aspirants from buying nomination and expression of interest forms.
In a statement released on Thursday, Ini Ememobong, the faction’s spokesperson, said allegations that party officials were obstructing interested candidates are false.
He explained that the Interim National Working Committee had not received any reports of anyone being blocked from accessing the forms. He also noted that the party recently extended the deadline for purchasing and submitting nomination forms after requests from members.
“We state clearly that the Interim National Working Committee is not aware of any hindrance by the party through its officials to prevent anybody from purchasing the forms,” the statement reads.
He added that under the revised schedule, the deadline for buying and submitting completed forms is Friday, 22nd May 2026, while screening for candidates who have not yet been screened will hold on Saturday, 23rd May 2026.
Ememobong further said that although the party has zoned the presidential ticket to the South, constitutional rights to contest elections cannot be restricted by zoning agreements or regional arrangements.
“To this end, we urge the public to discountenance any story alleging that the party is preventing people from purchasing forms. We reiterate that our forms are still available during the period specified in the amended timetable, and all Nigerians seeking to genuinely contest on our platform are free to obtain, fill, and return their forms,” he said.
He also recalled that the faction recently announced plans to screen former President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole presidential aspirant.
However, the party later removed the screening requirement for Jonathan, with Babangida Aliyu, a former Niger State governor and member of the screening committee, explaining that Jonathan, as a former president, is exempt from screening.
