2027 Race: Tinubu’s Lipspittle Attacks Former President Jonathan
The Presidency has responded to speculations that former President Goodluck Jonathan may contest the 2027 elections, saying he is welcome to join the race but must be prepared to answer questions about his performance in office.
In a statement issued on Monday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Jonathan’s administration between 2010 and 2015 left Nigeria’s economy in a weakened state.
“Jonathan’s regime, devoid of any clear economic agenda, engaged in frivolous spending, ran the economy aground, and put the country in dire straits,” Onanuga said.
The statement follows comments by former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, who recently suggested that Jonathan could return to power under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Onanuga dismissed the idea, warning that those pushing the former president’s candidacy may be doing so for personal or political gain.
“Politicians of Jerry Gana’s ilk merely want to lure him into the race to satisfy their personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests. They will abandon him midstream, as they did in 2015,” the statement read.
The Presidency noted that Jonathan has the constitutional right to seek office but argued that legal questions about his eligibility remain, given his two previous oaths of office. “Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land,” Onanuga said.
Citing economic data, the statement pointed to declining reserves, depleted excess crude savings, and salary arrears in several states as challenges that marked the Jonathan era. By contrast, it said the Tinubu administration had stabilised the economy through reforms such as the removal of fuel subsidies and unification of exchange rates.
According to the Presidency, Nigeria recorded a 4.23% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2025, while inflation fell to 20.12%, the lowest in three years. It also said foreign reserves currently stand at $42.03 billion, with improved investor confidence.
The statement added that the government is investing in infrastructure, citing ongoing road projects including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, while also making efforts to address security challenges.
“President Jonathan and others are welcome to the 2027 race. They broke the economy before, but millions of Nigerians will not allow them to return to run it down again,” Onanuga concluded.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
