A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with Seyi Makinde has unveiled its timetable and guidelines for the 2026/2027 general elections, including detailed schedules for primaries and the cost of nomination forms.
The announcement, shared via the party’s official X handle on Monday and signed by Organising Secretary Theophilus Dakas, outlines key activities leading up to the polls.
According to the timetable, the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms will run from May 5 to May 13, 2026, covering all elective positions—from state assembly to the presidency. The cost of forms was pegged at N100 million for presidential aspirants, N40 million for governorship, N10 million for Senate, N7 million for House of Representatives, and N2 million for state assembly seats.
As part of inclusivity measures, the faction said female aspirants would only pay for expression of interest forms, while youths and persons living with disabilities would receive a 50 percent discount on nomination fees.
The schedule indicates that screening of aspirants will be conducted in phases, beginning with state assembly hopefuls on May 15, followed by House of Representatives and Senate candidates on May 16. Governorship and presidential aspirants are slated for screening on May 18, while appeals are scheduled for May 21.
Ward congresses and party primaries are expected to take place later in May, culminating in a Special National Convention on May 30, 2026, where candidates will be ratified.
The faction also stated that submission of nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission will occur between late June and mid-July 2026 through electronic channels.
Campaigns are projected to begin in August 2026 for presidential and National Assembly candidates, and in September for governorship and state assembly races, with all activities expected to conclude in early 2027.
The timetable comes shortly after the faction ratified a 13-member caretaker committee led by Tanimu Turaki during its 103rd NEC meeting in Abuja.
Meanwhile, the rival camp within the PDP, reportedly backed by Nyesom Wike, has also commenced its own nomination process, underscoring the deepening internal divisions within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Supreme Court verdict
The New Daily Prime reported last week that the Supreme Court of Nigeria nullified the national convention of the PDP held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025. In a split ruling delivered on Thursday, three of the five-member panel dismissed the appeal brought by a faction of the party led by Tanimu Turaki, describing it as lacking merit.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Stephen Adah held that the appellants acted in defiance of a subsisting order of the Federal High Court, which had restrained them from going ahead with the convention.
The court found that proceeding with the gathering despite the injunction rendered the exercise invalid, effectively voiding its outcomes.
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Abuja’s court’s earlier verdict
In November 2025, a Federal High Court in Abuja had restrained the PDP from holding its national convention
The New Daily Prime reported that Justice Peter Lifu, in a ruling, also stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission from supervising or recognising any outcome of the convention.
The decision followed a suit filed by former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, who claimed he was denied the chance to obtain the nomination form for the national chairmanship race, effectively excluding him from the process.
Justice Lifu ruled that the PDP failed to follow due process, noting that the party did not publish a timetable for the exercise as required by law. He said Lamido would suffer greater harm if excluded, stressing that adherence to the rule of law was essential for democracy.
“In a constitutional democracy, due process of law must be strictly observed by those in authority. To act otherwise is to endanger the very foundation of democracy itself,” the judge said, adding that courts must uphold justice without fear or favour.
The court therefore ordered that the PDP should not hold its convention on the scheduled dates or any other date, and directed INEC not to monitor or recognise any outcome from such an event.
This ruling comes a month after another Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, issued a similar order halting the PDP’s planned convention over alleged breaches of the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.
