As political undercurrents stir ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, the presidency has responded sharply to recent moves by key opposition figures seeking to draft former President Goodluck Jonathan back into the presidential race.
In a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, the presidency dismissed suggestions that Jonathan would be a viable contender, calling his administration a period of “economic ruin” and “disastrous six years” that Nigerians would not want to relive.
The response comes after Professor Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information and key figure in the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), declared support for Jonathan’s return to the ballot. Gana reportedly expressed confidence that Jonathan could defeat Tinubu in 2027 — a claim Onanuga called “absurd” and a “comedic delusion.”
“Jonathan is welcome to the race if he wishes. But Nigerians will remember his dismal record in office,” the statement read.
A Look Back to Look Forward
According to Onanuga, President Tinubu and his administration are not threatened by Jonathan’s potential candidacy. However, he warned the former president against being misled by what he called “PDP sugar-coated cheerleaders” who, he alleged, abandoned Jonathan in 2015 and could do so again.
Onanuga also raised constitutional concerns over Jonathan’s eligibility to contest, citing that he has been sworn in twice as President — once after President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s death in 2010, and again after the 2011 general election. He said the matter would be for the courts to decide, should Jonathan formally enter the race.
Economic Scorecards Compared
The presidency used the opportunity to juxtapose what it claims are the failings of Jonathan’s government with the “giant economic strides” of Tinubu’s ongoing administration.
Highlights from the statement include:
• Jonathan-era critiques:
• Mismanagement of oil revenue during a boom period (average $100/barrel from 2010–2013).
• Depletion of foreign reserves from $66 billion to below $30 billion by 2015.
• Inability to pay federal worker salaries by the end of his term.
• Massive security funds allegedly misused under NSA Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
• Rampant fuel import fraud and foreign exchange abuse.
• Tinubu-era achievements (as stated by the presidency):
• Fuel subsidy removal and FX reform to unify rates.
• GDP growth of 4.23% in Q2 2025 – the highest in four years.
• Inflation dropped to 20.12% in August 2025, the lowest in three years.
• Foreign reserves rising to $42.03 billion.
• Key infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway.
• Renewed investor confidence and macroeconomic stability.
The Bigger Picture: A Warning to the Opposition
In a tone mixing sarcasm with stern warning, Onanuga accused the opposition of prematurely heating up the polity, motivated by desperation to regain power rather than genuine national interest.
“They broke the economy. President Tinubu is fixing it,” Onanuga declared.
“Nigerians… will not allow them to return and run it down again.”
While the 2027 elections are still over a year away, the statement signals that political battle lines are already being drawn — with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) making it clear it intends to defend Tinubu’s record fiercely.
Whether Jonathan will heed the call to contest again remains to be seen. But what’s certain is that the road to 2027 is shaping up to be anything but quiet.
