2027 Election: Goodluck Jonathan Told Not to Contest, Reason Emerges

• Former lawmaker Shehu Sani advised ex-president Goodluck Jonathan to steer clear of the presidential race ahead of the 2027 election
• Sani stated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Jonathan knew is not what it used to be
• Legit.ng reports that Jonathan served as the president of Nigeria, Africa's largest democracy, from 2010 to 2015

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja - Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna, has advised former President Goodluck Jonathan not to recontest for presidency in the 2027 election.

Sani, who was a guest on Channels Television’s 'Sunday Politics' programme monitored by Legit.ng, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jonathan's known party, is no longer united.

Legit.ng reports that ahead of the 2027 election, talks of Jonathan’s return have gained momentum within political circles, especially with debate about a one-term Southern presidency and the emergence of the new African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition platform.

Speaking on the speculations, Sani urged Jonathan not to contest.

He said:

“Each time there is an election, the name of Jonathan comes up, but it is his volition to contest, but I advise him not to do that. The reason is very simple: the PDP he used to know is not the PDP now.

“The PDP in the southwest is endorsing the president. Some members of the party are in the coalition. So, it is the party he used to know so he shouldn’t waste his time.”

Prolonged PDP crisis

The PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, is rocked by one of its most debilitating crises since its establishment 26 years ago.

Virtually every party organ and caucus appears factionalised and is engaged in proxy squabbles for the party’s soul.

The internal discord is fuelled by a struggle to control the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The roots of the crisis can be traced to the May 28, 2022, presidential primary, which produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flagbearer. This led to open rebellion from Wike and the G5 governors– Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu (former governors of Benue, Enugu, and Abia), and Seyi Makinde, the current governor of Oyo state. The others have since left office having completed their tenures.

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the G5 governors demanded the resignation of the national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for reconciliation, a demand Atiku and his supporters rejected. Unsurprisingly, Atiku and the PDP lost in all the G5-governed states.

Atiku has since left the PDP to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition platform.

Presidency weighs in on likely Jonathan showdown

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Barrister Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication has declared that "there is not a single politician that has the capacity to knock off" his principal in the 2027 election.

Bwala spoke on if a Jonathan comeback bid could rattle President Tinubu.

Reacting to the calls for Jonathan to contest against Tinubu, Bwala said he sees that some unscrupulous elements are trying to "hoodwink" Jonathan to come into politics "so that they can destroy his reputation".

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.