The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been plunged into further confusion as the faction of the party led by Tanimu Turaki, on Wednesday, presented a Certificate of Return to Sunday Garba Biggs as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Plateau State governorship election.

This comes after the faction led by former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, also presented a Certificate of Return to its preferred governorship candidate for the 2027 election on Tuesday.

Biggs was presented with the certificate during a ceremony following a meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party loyal to Turaki, which brought together state chairmen, party elders, members of the Board of Trustees, BOT, governorship candidates, and other stakeholders from across the country.

Biggs, who expressed his delight and satisfaction on receiving the Certificate of Return, said it formally places the responsibility of leading the PDP’s governorship campaign in Plateau State on him.

He noted that with the presentation, the PDP has expressed confidence in his ability to provide purposeful leadership and champion policies aimed at promoting good governance, peace, and sustainable development across the state.

Stakeholders and party faithful at the event also described Biggs as a leader with the vision and capacity to unite the people and build on the developmental aspirations of Plateau citizens.

The presentation of the certificate marks a significant step in the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 elections, but political observers in the state have pointed out that the party is on the verge of making a similar mistake it made in the 2023 election, which led to the Appeal Court removing all its elected lawmakers, as it did not abide by the rules.

Political analyst and former ally of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Segun Sowunmi, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu may get a weak result during the 2027 presidential election.

Sowunmi insisted that the 2027 presidential election may be between Tinubu and Atiku.

Featuring on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Sowunmi predicted that Tinubu might win 22 states in the 2027 presidential election.

He said: “The election is between Tinubu and Atiku no doubt about it and I believe that he’s going to win significantly better numbers in the Southeast because those are not places they usually get better numbers before.

“Of course, he is going to get good numbers in the Southwest. I even suspect that the South South may even bring in more good numbers than the Southeast, the way I’m looking at things.

“The president is going to do very well in the Northcentral, and he will do significantly better than he did the last time in the Northwest.

“For the Northwest, you have to look at where the big players are, the big boys that control the ,election and the big money.

“And when it comes to the Northeast, the vice president will have to pull his weight a little bit more and their governors would try more.

“Where I expect the president to be weak is probably in the North but in that North where the president may be weak, I have looked at all the governors and big players there.

“Let me give you an example of Katsina, the last time PDP won, one of the persons that worked very hard there was the then Director General of Atiku Campaign, we won Katsina though we lost the election, I went back to go and thank them and I have looked now Shema is no longer there, Isa Kenta is going to the APC, I have seen what Rabi is doing there.

“Take Kano for instance, they now have Shekarau over and above Ganduje, I have also looked at the big money people in Kano, I have looked at Dangote, BUA owner, you see these things don’t yield that way.”

Concerns over the absence of two major political parties dominated discussions at a Nigeria Police-organised stakeholders’ peace meeting in Osogbo on Wednesday as preparations intensify for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.

Representatives of smaller political parties criticised the failure of the ruling Accord and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to attend the meeting organised by the Osun State Police Command and other security agencies.

The gathering brought together political parties, electoral officials and security stakeholders, who used the forum to advocate peaceful conduct before, during and after the election.

Several participants expressed worries that the absence of the two parties could undermine efforts aimed at promoting a violence-free electoral process in the state.

Speaking at the meeting, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Adewale Adebayo, described the boycott as troubling, noting that the parties involved should have participated in discussions designed to foster peace.

“It is scary that the two political parties that have been fingered at one point or another for killing, maiming and harassing each other’s supporters are not here. They need to be here to agree to the terms of peace,” he said.

He added that the APM would continue to work with security agencies to support a peaceful and credible election in Osun State.

The Chairman of the BOOT Party in Osun, Prince Adesoji Adeleke, also faulted the absence of the Accord and the APC, arguing that their participation was essential to the success of the peace initiative.

“The two political parties causing the problem for us in the state are not here. This is disgusting. What is the essence of our sitting here? They know what they plan for themselves ahead of the election,” he said.

Earlier, Osun State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Gotan urged political actors to conduct their campaigns responsibly and cooperate with security agencies throughout the electoral period.

Gotan said parties and candidates should notify the police and other security agencies before holding rallies, processions or political gatherings to enable adequate security arrangements and prevent possible clashes.

“Early notification will enable security agencies to deploy personnel effectively, provide adequate security coverage, manage traffic, prevent clashes, and ensure the safety of participants as well as members of the public,” he said.

He also warned against the destruction of opponents’ campaign materials.

Also addressing participants, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osun State, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, expressed concern over recent violence in the state, saying incidents that resulted in loss of lives had created fear among residents and political stakeholders. 

She urged parties, candidates and supporters to embrace issue-based campaigns, reject hate speech and misinformation, and respect the rule of law throughout the election period.