Former President Goodluck Jonathan will not contest the 2027 presidential election, Sunday Telegraph can authoritatively report.
Jonathan, who left office in 2015, following his loss to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Late President Muhammadu Buhari, was rumoured to be planning a comeback in 2027.
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, in a television interview last week, confirmed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in talks with Jonathan and former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, to contest the 2027 presidential election on the party’s platform.
Mohammed said: “But certainly, President Jonathan is one of the candidates we are thinking to. If he joins us and opens his mind to run. And even other people like Governor Obi, because if he decides to come to a better platform where there are no encumbrances, he will be given the opportunity too.”
PDP, at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week, zoned its presidential ticket to the Southern region.
A source in the know told Sunday Telegraph that Jonathan said he would not contest against Peter Obi because that will be a betrayal to the people of South East.
Obi, candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, said he will contest 2027 presidential election, and offered to spend one term in office, to complete President Bola Tinubu’s tenure, because he believes in rotational presidency.
“I believe in the rotation of government between North and South. I implemented it in Anambra as a governor,” Obi had said.
The source said Jonathan said he would be seen as an ingrate if he decides to run against Obi in 2027 who is from the South East.
“As president, he said he received more votes from South East than his own geopolitical zone.
“So the talk about Jonathan running in 2027 is not true,” he confirmed.
It was reported last week that the former president had rejected mounting pressure on him to run, as that would amount using him against Southern unity.
According to the report, Jonathan said he would not accept the entreaties because he believes the motive was selfish, because ‘the intention is to break Southern solidarity.
“He would not be used to truncate anybody’s chances. He is an international statesman and he is satisfied playing that role.”
But Azibaola Robert, who claimed to be Jonathan’s cousin, said the former president would run, and said those admonishing him not to run have selfish motives.
When contacted, Jonathan’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, told this reporter, “Not in a position to answer this please.”
Sunday Telegraph further gathered that the presidency is working very hard to weaken any strong opposition against President Tinubu’s re-election, by ensuring that there are multiple candidates in various political parties in the 2027 presidential election.
At the last count, former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said he would contest the presidency in 2027. Obi also assured his supporters that he would be on the ballot. Former River State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, equally said he will contest, while former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, declared that he will not leave the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), but he is available for discussions on the party’s platform.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde is also said to be interested in the PDP ticket.
A source told this newspaper that the emergence of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as coalition platform came as a surprise to the APC.
“While they were busy destabilising PDP and Labour Party, they did not know that by so doing, opposition leaders were uniting on a common platform,” he explained.
ADC was unveiled as opposition platform on July 2, with most PDP members led by Atiku, and Labour Party led by Peter Obi, associated with it.
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) group in the APC led by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, as well as former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, are also linked to the coalition.
Since the unveiling and the emergence of former President of the Senate, David Mark, as interim National Chairman, ADC has no identifiable National Secretariat.
Sunday Telegraph was told it was strategic, because the party feared the APC government would go after any landlord who may give his property to the ADC.
For instance, during the unveiling of the party to the public, while The Wells Carlton Hotel & Apartments, which was first advertised as the venue, was sealed by security personnel, coalition leaders gathered at Musa Yar’Adua Centre for the event.
“We know that this government is capable of doing everything to stop the coalition,” one of the leaders of the coalition told Sunday Telegraph.
“They are using the EFCC to harass our members. Three weeks ago, the EFCC arrested one of our leaders, former governor of Sokoto State (Aminu) Tambuwal, two years after leaving office.
“Our National Chairman (Mark) who left office since 2015, about 10 years ago, is being investigated. So, also Emeka Ihedioha, seven years after he left office as Imo State governor; he was investigated.
“We were told that (Gabriel) Suswam former governor of Benue State, and el-Rufai may be invited this week by the EFCC. Even Bolaji Abdullahi, former Minister under Goodluck Jonathan who is now our National Publicity Secretary, is being investigated.
“We know all these things are coming, but we are determined. We know Nigerians want to end the APC’s misrule. People are suffering and Nigerians are ready to vote out APC in 2027,” the source said.
He admitted that fielding more than one strong opposition candidate against Tinubu in 2027 will return the president to office, but disclosed that some of the aspirants would be prevailed upon to step down their ambitions.
The source said PDP made a mistake zoning its presidential so early. “This means ADC can now go to the North, because with Southern votes split between APC and PDP candidates, anybody ADC fields from the North will have an easy win,” he said.
