Presidency Says Jonathan Free to Join 2027 Race |Omohglobalnews

The Presidency has declared that former President Goodluck Jonathan is at liberty to contest the 2027 presidential election but warned that Nigerians will not overlook what it described as his “dismal record in office.”

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, stated this in a release on Monday, in response to recent claims by Professor Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information, that Jonathan would fly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag in 2027.

Gana, speaking to journalists after the PDP Congress in Minna, Niger State, over the weekend, had asserted that Nigerians were calling for Jonathan’s return.
“In 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan said his ambition was not worth the blood of Nigerians. Since then, another president has ruled for eight years, and another has now completed two. Nigerians have seen the difference and are asking for Jonathan to come back. I can confirm that he will contest the 2027 presidential election on the PDP platform,” Gana said.

However, the Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) has rejected the suggestion that Jonathan could automatically secure the PDP ticket.

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group stressed that the Electoral Act 2022 mandates a transparent and competitive process, noting that only delegates at the PDP national convention can decide the party’s standard-bearer.

“With due respect to Professor Jerry Gana, only PDP delegates have the authority to choose the party’s flagbearer. No aspirant, including a former president, should expect automatic endorsement. Nigerians want genuine progress, not a return to the past,” Hamzat said.

He added that if Jonathan wishes to return to Aso Rock, he must be prepared to face other aspirants, including Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, in an open and credible primary.