The Presidency has reacted to reports that former President Goodluck Jonathan may contest the 2027 presidential election, saying the courts will ultimately decide whether he is constitutionally qualified to return to office after being sworn in twice as president.
In a statement issued on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said the Presidency had no objection to Jonathan joining the race but questioned both his eligibility and political relevance.
“President Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. It is his inalienable right. President Tinubu will welcome him to the race if he decides to enter. But Jonathan will have his day in court to determine whether someone sworn in twice as president satisfies the constitutional requirements to contest again,” Onanuga said.
The statement was a direct response to Professor Jerry Gana, former Minister of Information, who recently declared that Jonathan would contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Onanuga dismissed Gana’s claims as “absurd” and accused PDP leaders of seeking to exploit Jonathan for selfish political, ethnic, and religious interests.
The Presidency also used the statement to criticise Jonathan’s record in office, describing his six-year tenure as disastrous and blaming him for plunging Nigeria into economic hardship.
“Jonathan’s administration, devoid of any clear economic agenda, ran the economy aground. By 2015, foreign reserves had fallen below $30 billion from $66 billion in 2010, while the Excess Crude Account was depleted to $2 billion despite record crude oil earnings,” the statement read.
Onanuga accused Jonathan’s government of frivolous spending, mismanagement of security funds, and poor fiscal discipline, saying these factors triggered the economic downturn that Tinubu is now working to reverse.
In contrast, he highlighted Tinubu’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, which he said had stabilised the naira, boosted investor confidence, and restored growth.
“Between 2023 and 2025, GDP growth reached 4.23%, inflation fell to its lowest in three years, and foreign reserves stood at over $42 billion. Nigeria has turned the corner,” he added.
The statement concluded that while Jonathan and the PDP were free to contest in 2027, Nigerians “who remember the past” would not allow those who “broke the economy” to return to power.