JUST IN: Jonathan would ignore calls by PDP for 2027 Presidential run
JUST IN: Jonathan would ignore calls by PDP for 2027 presidential run
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reportedly resisted intense pressure from political allies to run for president in 2027, according to sources close to the former leader.
Despite a recent surge in calls for his return to politics, Jonathan is said to be committed to his role as a statesman and is not interested in another presidential bid.
Sources indicate that his Abuja residence has seen a continuous stream of visitors urging him to contest, but he views their motives as “selfish.”
One source explained that Jonathan believes some individuals want to use his candidacy to “break Southern solidarity” and that he will not allow himself to be a tool for such a purpose.
He is said to want the South to complete its full eight-year term before power shifts to the North.
A different source confirmed that Jonathan has repeatedly told visitors he has “played his part” and wants to “let others play theirs.”
While he has no intention of making a public statement on the matter yet, his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, hinted at his stance in May.
She suggested her husband would support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, citing Tinubu’s support for him in 2011. She also pledged her support for the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative.
The calls for Jonathan’s return were amplified by speculation that the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would zone its presidential ticket to the South.
Some PDP members reportedly see Jonathan as an ideal candidate who would serve only a single term.
Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, a founding member of the PDP, publicly stated last month that Jonathan is the party’s “best bet.”
However, legal experts have noted that Section 137 (3) of the amended 1999 Constitution could bar Jonathan from running, as it states that a person sworn in to complete another’s term “shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term,” having already been sworn in twice.
