The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disowned former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, over his claim that former President Goodluck Jonathan would emerge as the party’s presidential candidate in 2027.
The party leadership stated that Gana lacked the authority to speak on behalf of the PDP regarding its presidential ticket, insisting that the party has competent governors and other qualified members who could contest the election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, clarified:
“Professor Jerry Gana doesn’t speak for the PDP. People are free to express opinions, but the party has eminently qualified Nigerians, particularly at the governors’ level, who have demonstrated capacity and performance. When the time comes, our convention will decide.”
Ologunagba stressed that Jonathan remains a member of the party but has not declared any intention to contest.
On the purported state congress held in Calabar, Cross River State, over the weekend, Ologunagba dismissed it as unauthorised. He explained that the National Working Committee (NWC) had not constituted any electoral panel to conduct such an exercise.
“There was no state congress in Cross River for the PDP. What happened, if anything at all, could best be described as a carnival gathering, not a congress. For emphasis, the congress in Cross River has been postponed, along with those of Plateau and Kebbi States,” he said.
Ologunagba added that disciplinary measures would be taken against those behind the exercise, warning that the party would maintain internal order and due process.