Nigeria: PDP Denies Inviting Jonathan to Contest in 2027 Presidency

16 December 2024
Leadership (Abuja)
By Kamal Ibrahim

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has debunked claims that it has offered former President Goodluck Jonathan its ticket to vie for the 2027 presidential election.

In 2007, late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Jonathan won the presidential election as the PDP candidate. However, in 2010, Jonathan was sworn in as president following Yar'Adua's death. Jonathan subsequently won the 2011 presidential election under PDP but lost a return bid to President

Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015. That loss sent PDP in opposition status after serving as ruling party since 1999.

Considering PDP's ongoing internal divisions and problems, many believe that the former president could be a useful candidate for the party.

Recently, groups have called on the former president to contest the presidency in 2027. However, there is no official expression of interest from Jonathan to run for the presidency again yet.

But deputy national publicity secretary of PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, in an interview with BBC Hausa yesterday, the party has not reserved its 2027 ticket for Jonathan.

He said, "It is not true that the PDP is wooing former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest for the presidency in 2027."

Abdullahi said although Jonathan has rights to vie for the presidency again under relevant Nigerian laws, the party has not requested him to run for the election.

"He could contest the presidency and he deserves it. He is still allowed to serve the nation as president for another tenure," he explained.

He argued that the former president is a bonafide member of the PDP, hence it is pointless for the party to run after him to contest any elective position under the party.

Abdullahi said the PDP did not talk to Jonathan about the need for him to run, adding that the party does not think he was the only one who could contest the presidency for the PDP.

He said the PDP has 12 governors, and they have many potential presidential aspirants, who are prominent politicians as well.

To him, the party will not keep on waiting for one person. He said it should be recalled that Jonathan is the same person that APC attempted to convince to contest for it when President Muhammadu Buhari completed his tenure in 2019.

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