Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has endorsed Goodluck Jonathan as the strongest candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2027 presidential ticket.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, he urged the party to actively court Jonathan, arguing that no current Southern PDP member could match his credentials.
“I think for PDP now they should try to woo him. He is their best bet. Anybody put forth by the PDP, Nigerians will support him.”
Lamido emphasized Jonathan’s track record in governance and collaborative leadership:
He “is most welcome, competent and very qualified. To me, I welcome him into the PDP. I think so far in the PDP, with all respect to all members, I do not see a better alternative than Jonathan if he comes to the PDP.”
Describing the former president as experienced, pragmatic, and inclusive, Lamido stated:
“I do not see any other person really. If we are giving the presidency to the South, it will be the PDP. Who is there in PDP now that can challenge Jonathan in terms of being in office, being full headed, being somebody who is willing to listen and somebody who is also a key player who believes in partnership?”
Beyond endorsing Jonathan, Lamido called for disciplinary measures against party members who undermined the PDP in the 2023 general elections, specifically naming FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, ex‑Benue Governor Samuel Ortom, and ex‑Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
“All those erring members, the Wikes, the Ortoms, the Ikpeazus and others who openly campaigned against the PDP in the 2023 elections and who say that they are going to work for the APC in 2027 should be sacked from the party.”
He lamented a persistent culture of impunity within the party, urging enforcement of accountability:
“From way back after the primaries of 2022 leading to the elections of 2023 there are people who because of their interest and ambition felt aggrieved about what transpired in the party’s convention.”
“And they turned against the party and fought the party. We have been having this kind of problem, the impunity of people castrating the party and denouncing it.”
Lamido’s remarks coincide with intensified efforts within the PDP to persuade former President Jonathan to return as its flagbearer for 2027.
Despite the renewed interest, Jonathan has not publicly confirmed any plans to run.
However, his wife, Patience, recently made headlines by expressing support for the Tinubu administration, rejecting the notion of contesting against First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
