Former President Goodluck Jonathan is preparing to return to the presidential race in 2027, according to a close political ally.
Speaking to DAILY GAZETTE, the ally, also a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) revealed that the move to draft Jonathan as the party’s presidential candidate is already in advanced stages, and that the former president has accepted the offer in principle.
According to the source, Jonathan is returning to address Nigeria’s worsening poverty, hardship and growing economic instability.
The push for his return is reportedly driven by senior political figures and elders across the country who believe Jonathan’s leadership brought stability during his time in office.
The source emphasized that PDP leaders began pleading with Jonathan to recontest in an effort to “rescue the country and restore the economy.”
“Many Nigerians have come to realise the mistake they made in not re-electing Dr. Jonathan. They now acknowledge his achievements and are even apologising, pleading with him to return and rescue the country,” said Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi, the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
There are reports that Jonathan’s potential return is strategically calculated to allow power shift back to the north by 2031, as he would only be eligible to serve a single four-year term.
“Giving him the opportunity to run for a single term of four years remained the clearest pathway for power to return to the north in 2031,” the source stated.
Jonathan has already begun consultations with key leaders. Last weekend, he reportedly met with former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.) at his Hilltop Mansion in Minna, Niger State, to brief him on his plans.
Though IBB’s reaction was not disclosed, the source said the meeting was part of a broader plan to gain northern support.
Jonathan is also currently in the South-South, meeting with stakeholders to secure regional backing. It is believed that his base in the region will pose no challenge to his candidacy.
The PDP is actively pursuing Jonathan’s candidacy, sources confirmed to the BBC Hausa Service.
Senior party leaders, including governors, are said to be involved in convincing him to lead the party against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.
“He is a compassionate leader, and as a party that listens to Nigerians, we felt compelled to heed their call,” Abdullahi said.
Sources also confirmed that a PDP delegation recently traveled to The Gambia to meet Jonathan, where they urged him to accept the ticket.
Abdullahi noted that Jonathan has shown interest but has laid down certain conditions.
“He has started listening to the emissaries and is consulting with his inner circle,”
he added.
Jonathan reportedly wants clarity on whether he will face the primaries or be offered the ticket directly and whether the party genuinely values his leadership capacity.
In an exclusive interview, Daniel Woyengikuro, PDP’s National Financial Secretary, described Jonathan as the natural leader of the party and a strong candidate for the presidency.
“Is he not the best candidate for us at this moment? He is not just a former president; he is the leader of the party now. Aside from Obasanjo, the next person in line is him. Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader of this party,” Woyengikuro said.
He added “Nigeria has reached a point where we need to salvage this country for our generation and for the generations ahead of us. Someone like Goodluck Jonathan is okay.”
Woyengikuro strongly advocated for an automatic ticket for Jonathan:
“For me, that’s what I firmly stand for. You can quote me anywhere: I want him to come. An automatic ticket for him, as it stands now. Because we must salvage both this party and the nation. If Goodluck finally accepts, you will see that the entire dynamics will change. The entire politics of 2027 will change.”
He also commended Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as a vibrant southern leader and potential future presidential candidate.
“Now that we are talking about the Presidency remaining in the south, these are the two main individuals I stand for: Goodluck Jonathan and Seyi Makinde.”
Jonathan’s rumored return has reignited debate over his eligibility, given the 2018 constitutional amendment that bars anyone sworn in twice from being elected President again.
Section 137(3) of the Constitution states:
“A person, who was sworn in to complete the term for which another person was elected as President, shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term.”
However, legal opinions are divided.
Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) argued that the amendment does not apply to Jonathan, who served under the previous constitutional arrangement.
“Sections 182(3) and 137(3) were introduced in 2017 with a commencement date of 7th June, 2018. Thus, President Jonathan is still entitled to contest in my humble view,”
he explained.
Another lawyer, Mr. Elekwachi Nnabuihe, also argued that the amendment has no retroactive effect.
“Jonathan has only been elected once. If he was legally qualified to contest presidential election in 2015, nothing forbids him from doing so again.”
He added: “The amendment will only apply should the Yar’Adua scenario present itself again.”
DAILY GAZETTE recall that a 2022 Federal High Court ruling in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, also supported Jonathan’s eligibility.
In the case FHC/YNG/CS/86/2022, the court held that the amendment could not be applied retroactively and did not disqualify him from contesting the 2023 election.
Justice Isa Hamma Dashen ruled that Jonathan’s first oath in 2010 was constitutional and not the result of an election victory.
However, Mr. Johnmary Jideobi, a human rights lawyer, warned that Jonathan could exceed the constitutional eight-year limit if elected in 2027.
“If President Jonathan contests again and eventually wins in 2027, he will have exceeded the maximum number of eight years contemplated by the Constitution for any person to occupy the office of the President.”
He cited the Supreme Court ruling in Marwa & Anor v. Nyako Ors (2012), which clarified that no person should serve more than eight years as governor or president.
Chief Olabode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, said Jonathan is well qualified.
“He is very qualified because he did not leave the party. The more the merrier. All those who say they want to contest should wait till 2035. He is the easiest to sell because he has a track record, especially the economic indices Nigeria witnessed during his tenure.”
On the swearing-in controversy, George added:
“It cannot disqualify him because he was sworn in when Umar Yar’Adua died to continue his tenure, and it was because of the Doctrine of Necessity. He did not contest any election; he was sworn in to complete Yar’Adua’s tenure, who died while in office.”
