Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan reignited political discussions yesterday after disclosing that he would continue consulting before making a decision on whether to contest the 2027 presidential election.
According to Daily Trust, appeals for Jonathan to return to the presidential race have continued since the 2023 general elections. Political analysts believe the approaching May 10 deadline for political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC has intensified speculation that the former president may soon clarify his political intentions ahead of 2027.
His recent comments have been interpreted by many observers as an indication that he has not completely ruled out a return to partisan politics and could still consider entering the race.
Reacting to the development, political analyst Jide Ojo argued that those pushing for Jonathan’s return were only attempting to politically weaken the South ahead of the election.
Ojo maintained that Jonathan had largely distanced himself from active politics since leaving office in 2015, choosing instead to focus on peace-building initiatives, election observation missions across Africa, and activities related to his foundation.
Questioning the renewed calls for the former president to contest, Ojo said Jonathan had devoted himself to non-partisan engagements and wondered why some individuals were trying to drag him back into active politics.
He further stated that Jonathan’s chances of winning the presidency were extremely slim, stressing that the former leader had not maintained active political structures or built a strong support movement since 2016.
According to Ojo, the former president has not remained politically engaged enough to mount a successful presidential campaign, insisting that he would struggle to secure victory if he eventually decides to contest.
He added that even many of those encouraging Jonathan to run were not genuinely convinced that he could emerge victorious in the election.
“They don’t want him to win. There is something else they want about Southern votes. What they simply want is to polarise and fragment the southern vote,” he said.
On the issue of political platform, Ojo questioned which party Jonathan would contest under, noting that party primaries were already close.
“Today is May 6 and party primaries are expected soon. Under which platform does he want to contest?” he queried… See More
Leave a Reply