The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has confirmed efforts to persuade former President Goodluck Jonathan to run for Nigeria’s presidency once again in the 2027 general elections.
According to a report by BBC Hausa, which was monitored by DAILY GAZETTE, the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said that the move is part of a broader initiative to restore trusted leadership and respond to mounting public demand.
“The party is inviting Jonathan because many Nigerians are also making similar calls to the former president to come back,” Abdullahi stated.
Jonathan, who served a single term from 2011 to 2015, lost his re-election bid to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, PDP leaders now describe him as a model of democratic leadership and are eager to bring him back to the political frontline.
“Nigerians have realised that Jonathan was a good leader and most of the problems they blamed him for were actually not his faults,” Abdullahi explained.
He praised Jonathan for his peaceful concession in the 2015 elections, saying, “He also exhibited high level of statesmanship by not rigging the 2015 elections despite his power to do so as an incumbent president, like what his predecessors had done, but he toed the path of honour and conceded defeat to avoid bloodshed.”
Abdullahi further claimed that Jonathan has responded positively to the party’s approach, saying, “He would ponder and consult about it to make a decision.”
“Some of the conditions he gave were: to be given automatic ticket if he accepts to run, though he also said he would have to make consultations before getting back to us,” he added.
According to the report, some PDP governors have even traveled with Jonathan to The Gambia, where he recently attended a function, as part of ongoing efforts to court him for the 2027 presidential race.
