“PDP and APC are two sides of the same coin — a coin minted in the factory of imposition, deceit, and betrayal of the people’s will. Until genuine reforms force parties to respect internal democracy, what they call “due process” will remain a hollow slogan”
The Abia State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has said that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has every right to contest the 2027 presidential election, but insisted that he must follow due process before such an ambition can materialize.
On the surface, this sounds like a fair position. After all, every aspirant is expected to pass through party structures — from purchasing nomination forms to subjecting themselves to primaries. But let us not deceive ourselves: when has PDP, or any Nigerian political party, truly respected “due process”?
This sudden sermon on procedure is, at best, a political smokescreen. Nigerian parties have a notorious history of sidelining internal democracy, imposing candidates, and trading tickets like commodities. From Abuja “anointed candidates” to backroom deals sealed with briefcases of dollars, due process has always been the first casualty.
We need not look far for evidence. In 2019 and again in 2023, the PDP shamelessly imposed Atiku Abubakar as its flag bearer, despite loud protests within the party. Delegates were compromised, zoning agreements were jettisoned, and aspirants who dared to challenge the prearranged outcome were humiliated into silence. Where was this so-called “due process” then?
Even more troubling is the fact that Jonathan’s eligibility itself is not as “settled” as PDP wants Nigerians to believe. The 2018 constitutional amendment, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, clearly bars any person who has been sworn in as president for more than one term from contesting again. Jonathan completed Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s term (2010–2011) and won one full term of his own (2011–2015). That makes his case legally murky. Some legal scholars argue that by 2027, Jonathan may be disqualified outright.
And lest we think this hypocrisy is peculiar to PDP, let us remember APC’s own house of mirrors. In 2023, the so-called ruling party also reduced “primaries” to a coronation, bending rules and massaging party structures to hand the ticket to Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Aspirants who bought expensive forms were used as props in a pre-scripted drama, and APC shamelessly called that “democracy.”
No wonder Nigerians no longer take these parties seriously. On the streets of Aba and Port Harcourt, in the motor parks of Lagos, and across social media platforms, citizens reacted with bitter sarcasm. “Due process? Which due process? The same process they use to share dollars at primaries?” one trader scoffed. Another remarked online: “APC imposed Tinubu, PDP imposed Atiku. Now they’re talking about due process for Jonathan? Please, we are not children.”
The truth is, Nigerians are tired of recycled promises and selective morality. PDP and APC are two sides of the same coin — a coin minted in the factory of imposition, deceit, and betrayal of the people’s will. Until genuine reforms force parties to respect internal democracy, what they call “due process” will remain a hollow slogan, and elections will remain auctions where the highest bidder wins.
Editor’s Note:
The Abia PDP’s call for Jonathan to follow due process collapses under the weight of history and hypocrisy — just as APC’s coronation of Tinubu in 2023 mocked democracy. And Nigerians know it. From the streets to social media, citizens no longer trust these parties when they invoke due process. Until the people force the political elite to practice true democracy, Nigeria will remain trapped in a cycle of imposition, deceit, and recycled leadership. The question now is: will we allow them to fool us again in 2027?
