The Peoples Democratic Party faction backed by Nyesom Wike began screening presidential, governorship and national assembly aspirants on Thursday in Abuja, setting in motion an early battle for the party’s 2027 ticket. The exercise was being coordinated by the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led national working committee at the PDP national secretariat annex, Legacy House, Maitama.
Governorship aspirants were scheduled for noon on Thursday at the same venue, while the presidential screening was fixed for 2pm. The presidential screening committee is chaired by Okezie Ikpeazu, the former Abia state governor, with Hassan Sokodobo as secretary and former senators George Sekibo and Zainab Kure as members. Ahmed Makarfi, the former Kaduna state governor, heads the governorship screening committee, which includes George Ariolu as secretary, along with Ibrahim Umar, Aisha Madawaki and Tajudeen Yusuf.
The screening drive comes as the faction moves through its preparatory calendar for the 2027 general election, with separate panels handling presidential and governorship hopefuls before the next stage of primaries. In Cross River state, the party said it screened 45 aspirants for national assembly and state assembly seats ahead of its May 21 primaries, with a five-man panel led by Fred Osim and former APC member Alex Egbona among those screened.
Elsewhere on Thursday in Lokoja, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan said she successfully completed the PDP screening exercise ahead of the party primaries for the 2027 Kogi Central Senatorial Election. Muhammed Abdullahi, known as Elephant, said he was screened and cleared to contest the PDP primary for the Kogi East senatorial district, saying he arrived with the required credentials and supporting documents. The party faction led by Kabiru Turaki also said it has formed an alliance with the Allied Peoples Movement, adding another layer of maneuvering to a party already divided into competing blocs.
For now, the clearest sign of where the PDP fight is headed is not in the speeches but in the timetable: Abuja at noon, Abuja again at 2pm, and a string of local screenings that show the party’s 2027 contest is already underway.
