Jonathan Holds Private Meeting with Tinubu Hours After INEC Omits Him from 2027 Candidate List

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday held a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The closed-door discussions took place just hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the personal particulars of all presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election. Jonathan’s name was notably absent from the list.

Sources familiar with the development attribute the omission to INEC’s continued recognition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, rather than the rival group associated with Ambassador Tanimu Turaki.

The meeting between the former president and the incumbent has drawn attention amid ongoing internal divisions within the PDP. Details of what was discussed during the private encounter have not been made public by either the Presidency or Jonathan’s camp.

INEC’s publication of candidates’ personal particulars forms part of the statutory process leading up to the 2027 polls. The commission’s decision to recognise one PDP faction over the other has further highlighted the party’s unresolved leadership and legitimacy disputes.