A former Senator, Sandy Ojang Onor, has obtained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination form to contest the 2027 presidential election amid lingering uncertainty over the stability of the opposition party.
Onor represented the Cross River Central Senatorial District in the 9th Senate from 2019 to 2023.
The 60-year-old aspirant purchased both his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms at the Wadata Plaza National Secretariat of the party in Abuja on Saturday, after paying the prescribed fee of N51 million.
Speaking with journalists shortly after receiving the forms from the National Chairman of the party, Honourable Abdulrahman Mohammed, the aspirant said he responded to strong pressure from committed party members to join the presidential race, noting that the legacy of the PDP must be sustained.
He also said his decision to join the race had put an end to speculation that the PDP would not participate in the presidential election.
Onor addressed the controversy surrounding the decision of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu while the PDP is also fielding a presidential candidate.
When asked whether it amounted to a double standard for a key PDP figure to support the re-election of an APC president, Onor said the situation would not create any problems.
According to him, while the minister is a leader in the party, he is not the party and does not make decisions for the PDP.
He described Wike as a man of integrity who must keep his promise of supporting the President, as he is a member of the Federal Executive Council and should not be seen as working against Tinubu.
Onor said: ‘Barrister Nyesom Wike is indisputably a leader of the party, but he is not the party. The fact that I am running is a function of persuasion, deep persuasion, from several stakeholders of the party across the country.
‘Like I said, Wike has made it clear. Even before he took office, he wrote to the party and sought their permission, and they granted it. Now he is serving in the government as Minister of the Federal Republic.
‘If Nyesom Wike does not support President Tinubu, Nigerians will condemn him for lacking integrity and probity. So he has a right to choose to support President Tinubu, and he has made that position clear and obvious.
‘I think that anyone with integrity should act that way. But the fact that he, as an individual and even as a leader of the party, has chosen to support the President does not mean that is the direction the party will take. This party has chosen to present a presidential candidate who will contest the election, like any other candidate.’
The aspirant expressed confidence in God and in the support of Nigerians to return the PDP to power in 2027, irrespective of prevailing political factors.
‘If by the grace of God I am granted the opportunity and democratically chosen to lead this party, I will do so courageously, with capacity and a strong sense of responsibility. Let Nigerians choose what they want and who they want.
‘And I believe at the end of the day they will choose us. They are yearning for PDP-type governance, and that, by the grace of God, will return,’ he added.
Mohammed thanked Onor for accepting the challenge to contest the election, assuring him of the party’s support and the prayers of members working for the return of the PDP to power.
‘Thank you for taking on the assignment of contesting the presidential election. We pray that you succeed so that our party will also succeed,’ the chairman said.
Meanwhile, members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) announced on Saturday that the 103rd NEC meeting would be held on Monday, May 4.
Statutory NEC members expected at the meeting include PDP state governors, members of the National Assembly (PDP caucus), members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), state chairmen, national ex-officio members, former NWC members, former governors, and principal officers of the National Assembly.
‘NEC remains dedicated to the stability, unity and success of the PDP, guided by the principles of internal democracy, party discipline, inclusivity of members, and the pursuit of the wellbeing of the Nigerian people as we march to victory in the 2027 general elections,’ the notice added.