ABUJA, Nigeria — Former President Goodluck Jonathan has pushed back against critics of his rumoured 2027 presidential ambition, warning prominent voices in law and politics to refrain from intervening in his political decisions.
The response came after Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation, and Professor Chidi Odinkalu, a legal scholar, advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against handing Jonathan its presidential ticket, arguing that he faced constitutional barriers because he had already been sworn in twice as president.
In a statement issued Monday, September 1, 2025, through his brother, Azibaola Robert, Jonathan dismissed their concerns, insisting that his eligibility was not in doubt and that he had access to legal counsel more competent than his critics.
“Rule No. 1: Do not offer legal advice where none is solicited. GEJ (PDP) has numerous, more cerebral, more experienced SANs at his disposal who give him sound, unblemished professional legal advice,” Robert wrote on his verified Facebook page.
“Please note: GEJ is 100% constitutionally and legally qualified to contest, if he chooses to. If he decides not to yield to the overwhelming calls to run, it will not be because he is unqualified. Your unsolicited legal view is not of any concern to him and will never be.”
He added, in a lighter tone: “This is not a confirmation that GEJ is running, though.”
Jonathan, who served as president from 2010 to 2015, has not formally declared his intention to run.
Still, speculation about a return has triggered debates within Nigeria’s political class, especially around zoning and succession.
Keyamo and Odinkalu have argued that Jonathan’s candidacy would risk destabilising the South’s claim to the presidency beyond 2027, while others see him as a unifying figure with national appeal.
