2027: Jonathan’s record too damaging for comeback, Presidency declares firmly
The Presidency has reacted sharply to calls by former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election, warning that Nigerians would not forget what it described as his “dismal record in office.”
In a statement issued on Monday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Bola Tinubu would welcome Jonathan into the race, but stressed that the former leader would be judged both in the courts and in the eyes of Nigerians.
“Former President Jonathan is welcome to the race. Nigerians will remember his dismal record in office,” Onanuga declared.
“Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land. Indeed, the jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as president, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest the presidency and be sworn in, if successful, for a third term in office,” he added.
He accused opposition figures of prematurely heating up the political space, adding: “As we begin the march towards the 2027 elections, we are once again regaled with a cacophony of voices, most of them full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Onanuga specifically criticised Gana’s attempt to draft Jonathan, describing it as “absurd.”
He said: “Prof. Gana of the defunct MAMSER fame is free to delude himself and engage in his usual comedy; after all, Jonathan’s entering the race would provide another job for the Niger State-born former university don.”
The presidential aide warned Jonathan against what he called “sugar-coated cheerleaders” within the PDP, arguing that such politicians would abandon him just as they did in 2015.
“They merely want to lure him into the race to satisfy their personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests. They will abandon him midstream and leave Gentleman Jonathan in the lurch,” he said.
Onanuga recalled that Jonathan inherited $66 billion in reserves and savings in 2010, but left office in 2015 with “foreign reserves below $30 billion and the Excess Crude Account depleted to $2 billion, despite record oil revenues.”
He added: “By December 2014, the Jonathan-led Federal Government could no longer pay salaries. At least 28 states owed workers huge arrears.”
In contrast, he highlighted Tinubu’s achievements: “In slightly over two years, the Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23%, the highest in four years. Inflation decreased to 20.12% in August 2025, the lowest in three years. Foreign reserves stand presently at $42.03 billion. The Naira has virtually stabilised. Investor confidence in our economy has been restored, and investors are betting on Nigeria.”
According to him, “The PDP and Jerry Gana’s co-travellers broke the economy; President Tinubu is fixing it.”
He listed ongoing reforms and projects, including the removal of fuel subsidy, unification of exchange rates, and road infrastructure such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Onanuga added: “President Jonathan and others are welcome to the 2027 race. They broke the economy before, but millions of Nigerians who will not easily forget the recent past will not allow them to return to run it down again.”
