NIGERIA: Presidency Dismisses Jonathan’s 2027 Bid, Says Nigerians Will Remember His “Dismal Record”

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The Presidency has reacted to reports suggesting that former President Goodluck Jonathan may contest the 2027 presidential election, saying that while Jonathan has the constitutional right to run, Nigerians will remember his “dismal record” in office.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the Presidency said opposition figures, including former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, were attempting to draft Jonathan into the race to serve their “personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests.”

The statement warned Jonathan to be cautious of the “sugar-coated cheerleaders” in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that such politicians abandoned him in 2015 and could do so again.

“President Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. It is his inalienable right. But he will have his date in the court of the land to determine his eligibility and, more importantly, an encounter with Nigerians who voted him out in 2015,” the Presidency said.

Recalling Jonathan’s tenure from 2010 to 2015, the statement accused his administration of mismanaging the economy, depleting foreign reserves and the Excess Crude Account despite record oil revenues, and leaving states and federal workers with salary arrears.

The Presidency contrasted Jonathan’s record with what it described as the achievements of President Bola Tinubu in the last 28 months, including the removal of fuel subsidy, unification of exchange rates, growth in GDP, reduction in inflation, and rising foreign reserves.

“The nation has turned the corner, and our people have started reaping the gains of the bold reforms instituted by the Tinubu administration,” the statement added, highlighting ongoing road projects and improvements in investor confidence.

While welcoming Jonathan or any other aspirant into the 2027 race, the Presidency insisted Nigerians would not allow those who “broke the economy” to return and “run it down again.”