Presidency Insists Jonathan Cannot Contest in 2027 Elections

The Presidency has said former President Goodluck Jonathan faces serious constitutional and credibility hurdles should he attempt to contest the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement issued on Sunday, September 29, by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency noted that Jonathan’s eligibility remains a matter for the courts to decide, given that he has already been sworn in twice as President.

“Jonathan will certainly have his day in court. The judiciary will determine whether someone who has taken the oath of office twice can constitutionally contest again and, if successful, be sworn in for what amounts to a third term,” Onanuga said.

Beyond legal questions, the statement stressed that Jonathan must also convince Nigerians that he has anything new to offer after what it described as his “disastrous six-year tenure,” which ended with his electoral defeat in 2015.

Onanuga accused Jonathan’s administration of mismanaging the economy and laying the foundation for the downturn that the Tinubu government is working to reverse. He pointed to reckless spending, abuse of security funds, depletion of foreign reserves, and the squandering of record oil revenues during Jonathan’s time in office.

“By 2010, Jonathan inherited $66 billion—$46 billion in reserves and $20 billion in the Excess Crude Account. By 2015, reserves had plunged below $30 billion, and the Excess Crude Account was down to $2 billion, despite years of oil selling above $100 per barrel. Yet by December 2014, the Federal Government could no longer pay salaries, while 28 states owed workers huge arrears,” Onanuga alleged.

The statement also dismissed attempts by opposition figures to draft Jonathan into the 2027 race, describing them as acts of desperation. It singled out former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Professor Jerry Gana, for suggesting that Jonathan could run under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

According to Onanuga, “The PDP left behind a legacy of economic ruin after 16 years of misrule. Jerry Gana may delude himself by imagining Jonathan can defeat President Tinubu, but the reality is far different. The same politicians urging Jonathan to run will abandon him midway, as they did in 2015.”

He, however, acknowledged Jonathan’s constitutional right to contest again if he chooses, saying: “Don’t get us wrong—Jonathan is free to enter the race. It is his right. And if he does, President Tinubu will gladly welcome him to the field.”