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2027: Jonathan will contest presidency, return to Aso Villa — Jerry Gana

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Former Minister of Information and Orientation, Professor Jerry Gana, has disclosed that former President Goodluck Jonathan would contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Gana also expressed optimism that Jonathan would defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reclaim power after 10 years.

Recall that Jonathan, a sitting President was defeated by candiadate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in the 2015 presidential election. His defeat ended PDP’s political dominance in the country after 16 years of the party being in power. Since then, the PDP has been battling with internal crisis and looking for ways to reclaim power.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the PDP Congress in Minna, Niger State, at the weekend ,Gana said Nigerians had experienced two other leaders after Jonathan and were now yearning for his return.

“In 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan said his ambition was not worth the blood of Nigerians. After him, another President ruled for eight years, and now another has ruled for two years.

“Nigerians have seen the difference, and the difference is very clear. Nigerians are now asking us to bring back our friend, former President Goodluck Jonathan,” Gana said.

“I can confirm that Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will contest the presidential election in 2027 as PDP candidate, and we should be prepared to vote for him to return as President again,” he added.

 

 

 

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Jonathan joins 2027 Presidential Race

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has agreed to contest the 2027 presidential election, a close political associate has confirmed.

The revelation was disclosed by a senior member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) familiar with ongoing consultations involving the former leader, Vanguard reports.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Dr. Jonathan has formally accepted calls by influential party stakeholders and national elders urging him to re-enter the race. “The decision has been made. He’s accepted to run. He wants to offer leadership once again to address the poverty, insecurity, and economic hardship currently ravaging the country,” the newspaper quoted the source.

Jonathan, who served as President between 2010 and 2015, is said to have agreed to a single-term presidency if elected. Political observers note that this one-term commitment is being used to persuade northern leaders, many of whom view it as a smooth path for power to rotate back to the North in 2031 without resistance from the South.

“He can only run for one term due to constitutional limits, and that’s why northern politicians are backing the idea. They see it as a transitional move,” the ally explained.

The former president has reportedly commenced consultations both within and outside the PDP. It is understood that last weekend, he met with former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.) in Minna, Niger State, where he reportedly briefed the elder statesman on his decision.

In the South-South, Jonathan is also said to be meeting key political stakeholders, including private engagements in Port Harcourt.

Though details of these meetings remain undisclosed, insiders insist that securing support from the region will not pose a challenge.

The PDP leadership is believed to be fully behind the move. Reports suggest that several party chieftains recently visited Jonathan in The Gambia to further persuade him. Speaking to BBC Hausa, the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi, confirmed that the party is in active discussions with Jonathan.

“Many Nigerians have now come to recognise the value of his past leadership. People are asking for his return, and we, as a party, are listening,” Abdullahi said.

He added that Jonathan has remained a loyal PDP member and that the party sees his potential return as a credible strategy to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Jonathan’s anticipated return, however, is reigniting constitutional debates over his eligibility. Following a 2018 constitutional amendment, Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a person who has been sworn in twice as president is barred from seeking the office again.

Legal experts remain divided on the matter.

Some argue the amendment disqualifies him, as he completed President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s term in 2010 before winning a full term in 2011. Others maintain that the law, signed in 2018, cannot be applied retroactively to Jonathan.

However, it should be noted that a 2022 ruling by a Federal High Court in Yenagoa favoured the former president, stating that the constitutional amendment could not invalidate his right to contest.

 

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2027: Calls for Goodluck Jonathan’s return gains momentum in the north

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Some northern leaders have continued the push for Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s return as Nigeria’s president in 2027.

A political group in the north, The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, has joined the campaign and is urging the former president to enter the 2027 presidential race.

The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, stated that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.

He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa said.

He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.

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Nigeria Now In Worse State Compared To 2015 – SANUSI

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido II, former Emir of Kano, has expressed great concerns about the current state of the country.

He said Nigeria is now in a worse situation compared to what obtained in 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari took over from former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Sanusi spoke on Thursday in Lagos at the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation (AAF), leadership colloquium and awards.

“This is the only oil-producing country that is grieving at the moment when oil prices have gone up as a result of the Russia/Ukraine war. Our total revenue is not able to service our debt. And if anybody does not understand that we are in a complete mess, we are.

“We were in a deep hole in 2015. And between 2015 and now, we have been digging ourselves into a deeper hole.

“We thought we had a big problem in 2015. 2015 is nothing compared to what will happen in 2023. We have terrorism, we have banditry, we have inflation, we have an unstable exchange rate, and the worst thing is that those in leadership actually think we are going to thank them when they leave office, that we are going to appreciate them. There is no change.

“There is no sense of urgency. If you are running a company and your sales revenue cannot pay interest, you know you’re bankrupt.

“When the total revenue of the Federal Government cannot service debt we are smiling. These are the kinds of questions we need to ask. And the reality is that there are so many Nigerians, who, given the opportunity will do well but they simply cannot contest in that space,” he said.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, hinged the challenge on the lack of vision of some of the country’s leaders.

He added, “What is our vision for Nigeria? Do we have a vision of one country? Do we have a vision of one united country, that lives peacefully with itself — diverse, multicultural, multi-religious but one?

“Leaders after leaders, most of those who have ruled did not have a vision for a united Nigeria. How would you like to be remembered after eight years as a President, after eight years as a governor, eight years as a minister, eight years as Governor of CBN? How will you like history to remember you? They have not thought about it.

“The vast majority of those in office have a vision that is limited to the next election. It is to win. And when you’ve won, you’ve reached a destination, not a journey.”

Source: pointblanknews

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Politics: Jonathan May Be Screened Today Despite Presidency’s Denial

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

There are indications that former President Goodluck Jonathan may appear before the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential screening committee for his screening today.

This is coming despite the denial by the presidency on Sunday that President Muhammadu Buhari was involved in the plot to draft Jonathan into the 2023 presidential race under the platform of the governing party.

The presidential screening committee yesterday commenced the screening of presidential aspirants seeking to clinch the party’s ticket ahead of the 2023 general election.

The screening exercise which was conducted in camera at the Transcorp Hhotel, Abuja, is billed to end today.

According to report, Jonathan who is attending a high-level advisory board meeting of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM Council) would proceed to the venue of the screening exercise on arrival for Italy today.

Findings revealed that Jonathan was still in the contest for the APC presidential ticket and would be screened today.

The source who did not want his name in print noted that contrary to reports suggesting that the former president has pulled out of the race, Jonathan “was fully in the contest and President Buhari has not given up on him.

“He is returning today and I can assure you that barring any last minute change of plans he would be proceeding to the venue of the screening to be screened like other APC presidential aspirants,” the source added.

The source further hinted that “a major decision would be taken any moment from now, precisely as from tomorrow (Tuesday) involving the former president.”

LEADERSHIP gathered from another source close to the presidential screening committee of the APC were expecting a name of another presidential aspirant for screening today, bringing the number of presidential aspirants of the governing party to 25.

“Currently, there are 24 names on the list of APC presidential aspirants to be screened, but the screening committee is expecting another name of a presidential aspirant form the party leadership today. This will bring the number of the aspirants to 25,” the source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised speak told this paper.

The presidency had on Sunday denied the involvement of President Buhari in plot to draft Jonathan into the presidential race ahead of the APC presidential primary.

It said that the president had taken measures to distance himself from the plot.

Quoting an impeccable source at the presidential villa, the media reports noted that instructions have consequently been given that there shall be no public release of photos of any meetings between the former president and Buhari at this time, as the president does not want such images to be used to confer any modicum of support to the plot to get Jonathan into the race.

In spite of the fact that Jonathan had earlier rejected the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms purchased for him by Fulani and Almajiri groups, his name has continued to be linked to the APC ticket, even as his membership in the party has become a subject of public discourse.

Some APC members, including a Northern governor, were however allegedly said to be behind the push to draft Jonathan into the ruling party’s presidential primary.

Also, the judgement of a Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, which cleared him to contest for another term I office also fueled the speculations that he was in the race.

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JUST IN: Goodluck Jonathan in auto crash, two dead

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been involved in a fatal auto crash which killed two persons.

Mr Jonathan was returning from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Wednesday when the accident happened.

Although the former president escaped death and is said to be now safe in his Abuja home, two of his aides died in the accident.

It is unclear if Mr Jonathan sustained any injuries from the auto crash as Leading Reporters could not reach the former president’s spokesperson as of the time of filing this report.

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Buhari will soon release Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho – group coordinator

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

The National Coordinator, Concerned Advocates for Good Governance (CAGG), Olusegun Bamgbose has said he can authoritatively say that President Muhammadu Buhari will soon release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho.

He asserted that the plan by the President to release both Kanu and Igboho was mainly linked with the advice that the nation’s leader got from his close associates.

He also said that the decision would be hinged upon how Buhari approaches the 2023 general elections.

Speaking convincingly, Bamgbose said the harassment of the two separatist leaders will soon be a matter of the past.

“There are strong underground moves both within and outside the country to discontinue the charges against them,” Bamgbose told Daily Post on Monday.

“Unknown to many Nigerians, some very close allies of President Buhari have strongly advised him to handle their cases wisely because of the 2023 General elections,” he said.

Bamgbose said Buhari has been told by his allies that clamping down on the Yoruba and Igbo secessionists will negatively affect the fortunes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

“It’s obvious from the body language of the President that he will yield to their advice. Another aspect of it is that some Southern Governors are equally secretly negotiating soft ground for the embattled agitators,” he added.

“They are not making it public for obvious reasons. There is also the pressure from International Community to release them soon. In other words, both agitators may soon regain their freedom, hopefully before the end of the year.

“Some top politicians think that considering that 2022 will be the kickstart of the electioneering campaign for the 2023 general elections, it will be ideal to release them this year.

“However, of major concern is the continued violence in the South-East. The government seems to be closely monitoring events in the South-East.

“There are plans to release Igboho to continue his journey to Germany and later release Nnamdi Kanu to South-East Governors and Ohanaeze, but on condition that he will stay back in Nigeria.

“The plans are good but the primary thing President Buhari should do is to ensure fairness to all zones in the country. He is not to be seen as representing the interest of a clan or region.

“He was not elected by a particular section of Nigeria. There must be nothing like marginalisation in any form. The votes of his clan or region could not have made him the President of Nigeria.

“In the 2011 Presidential elections, he got 12 million votes, the majority of which came from the North, but he lost to (Goodluck) Jonathan. He won in 2015 because the South supported him. In order words, he should be more nationalistic in his approach to national issues,” he said.

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