The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly criticized the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for supporting calls for former president Goodluck Jonathan to run in the 2027 presidential election.
This comes amidst growing rumors that some northern political elites are dissatisfied with President Bola Tinubu’s administration and are quietly seeking a change in leadership in the upcoming election.
In recent weeks, discussions about Jonathan possibly entering the 2027 race have gained traction. This speculation intensified four days ago when Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, publicly supported the idea.
Speaking at an event organized by the Save Africa Initiative, a non-governmental organization, in Abuja, Mohammed expressed his readiness to step aside from his own presidential ambitions if Jonathan decided to contest.
Governor Mohammed praised Jonathan’s leadership qualities, particularly his experience in managing the country’s economy. He argued that the former president had the necessary expertise to turn around Nigeria’s economic fortunes and could excel if given another opportunity to lead the nation.
However, the APC has taken issue with these early conversations about the 2027 election. The ruling party views the speculation as premature and unnecessary at this stage of Tinubu’s presidency.
Bala Ibrahim, the National Director of Publicity for the APC, made the party’s stance clear during a phone interview with PUNCH.
Ibrahim mocked the PDP’s apparent eagerness to latch onto any political figure, calling it a sign of desperation. He further warned that if Jonathan were to run against Tinubu in the next election, he would face defeat once again, just as he did in 2015.
He said, “For us to start talking about 2027 is not only premature, but a calculation that is doomed. Less than 40 per cent of the mandate given to the President under the APC has not even been consumed. There is just no way the APC as a party will be jittery, if at all, there is such plan to enrol former President Goodluck Jonathan into the race.
“The APC defeated him when he was in power. Defeating him when he’s out of power will be a walkover. It is something that cannot even give the party a sleepless night. So, whoever is making this permutation, if the intention is to scare the APC as a party, I think he needs to go back to the drawing board and think again. We are not worried.
“As I said, let’s get to the river before we start thinking of crossing it. It is too early to start talking about 2027. But if you bring 10 former President Jonathan, they cannot defeat the APC as of today.”
