The Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has manually submitted the 2027 presidential nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite the commission's refusal to recognise the committee as the party's leadership.

The development is the latest twist in the PDP's protracted leadership crisis, with the Turaki-led faction insisting it validly nominated its candidates in accordance with the Electoral Act and warning of legal action if INEC publishes any list other than the one it submitted.

Speaking to journalists, the committee's National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the party resorted to manual submission after INEC allegedly declined to provide the access codes required for electronic submission of candidates, maintaining that the codes were merely an administrative requirement and not a legal condition.

"Notwithstanding INEC's refusal to provide us with the necessary access codes, we have successfully submitted, manually and in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic Peoples Democratic Party," Ememobong said.

He disclosed that the submission included Jonathan's presidential nomination, as well as the party's governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates, adding that INEC acknowledged receipt of the documents.

Ememobong warned the electoral commission against publishing any candidates' list other than the one submitted by the Turaki-led committee.

"Should the Commission publish names other than those lawfully submitted by us, we are exhausting every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party," he said.

According to him, the dispute arose from the Supreme Court's judgment on the PDP's leadership, which he claimed left the party without a legally recognised national leadership. He said the party's Board of Trustees, together with a requisitioned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, subsequently constituted the Interim National Working Committee.

He alleged that although INEC was duly notified of the interim leadership, the commission declined to recognise it, forcing the party to seek judicial intervention.

Ememobong also faulted a recent Federal High Court judgment on the matter, arguing that it contradicted earlier decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

"The judgment reads more like an appeal on the judgment of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. It is clearly inconsistent with the extant decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal that form the foundation of our case," he said.

He disclosed that the party had appealed the judgment and would also challenge alleged discrepancies between the judgment delivered in open court and its Certified True Copy (CTC).

The PDP faction further accused INEC of compromising its neutrality, alleging that the commission withheld material facts during court proceedings involving the party and ignored congresses it had monitored.

"The Commission's actions have regrettably reinforced the growing public perception that it is no longer acting with the impartiality expected of the nation's electoral umpire," Ememobong said.

He further claimed that the PDP had become the first victim of what he described as a broader effort to weaken opposition parties and pave the way for a one-party state.

"We were the pioneer target for opposition dismantling and capture, but it has now spread to almost all the opposition parties," he alleged.

Ememobong called on Nigerians to defend the country's multi-party democracy, warning that what he described as electoral authoritarianism poses a threat to democratic governance. He expressed confidence that the party would ultimately prevail through the courts.