ABUJA, Nigeria — The presidency on Monday, September 29, 2025, said former President Goodluck Jonathan has the right to contest the 2027 presidential election but warned that Nigerians would not forget what it called his “dismal record in office.”
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, issued the statement in response to remarks by former information minister Jerry Gana, who declared over the weekend that Jonathan would contest the 2027 election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and reclaim power after 12 years.
Onanuga described Gana’s claim as “absurd” and said Jonathan risked being misled into the race by PDP figures who would eventually abandon him.
“Politicians of Jerry Gana’s ilk merely want to lure him into the race to satisfy their personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests,” Onanuga said.
“They will abandon him midstream, as they did in 2015, and leave Gentleman Jonathan in the lurch.”
While acknowledging Jonathan’s constitutional right to run, Onanuga said the former president could still face legal scrutiny over eligibility.
“President Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. It is his inalienable right to contest the presidency again. President Tinubu will wholeheartedly welcome him if he decides to enter the race,” he said.
“But 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.”
The presidential adviser accused Jonathan of damaging the economy during his six-year tenure.
He said Jonathan inherited $66 billion in reserves and excess crude savings in 2010 but left less than $32 billion by 2015 despite high oil revenues.
“Let us remind ourselves about Jonathan’s record. We cannot forget in a hurry how his regime, devoid of any clear economic agenda, engaged in frivolous spending, ran the economy aground and put the country in dire straits,” Onanuga said.
He added that by December 2014, the federal government struggled to pay salaries, with at least 28 states owing workers arrears.
In contrast, Onanuga praised Tinubu’s administration for what he called bold economic reforms, citing the removal of fuel subsidy, unification of exchange rates, and growth in GDP and reserves.
“In plain language, the nation has turned the corner. And our people have started reaping the gains of the bold reforms instituted by the Tinubu administration,” he said.
Onanuga concluded that Jonathan, while welcome to the 2027 race, would face stiff resistance from Nigerians who, he argued, would not allow a return to “the recent past” under his leadership.
STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE
FORMER PRESIDENT JONATHAN IS WELCOME TO THE RACE. NIGERIANS WILL REMEMBER HIS DISMAL RECORD IN OFFICE
As we begin the march towards the 2027 elections prematurely foisted on the nation by the desperation of the opposition ganging up against President…
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) September 30, 2025
