The Presidency has dismissed suggestions that former President Goodluck Jonathan could unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election, should he decide to contest, Dockaysworld reports.
Barrister Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, said during a Wednesday night interview on Channels Television, August 13, that “there is not a single politician that can knock off” the incumbent in the next presidential race.
Speculation has been mounting over a possible comeback bid by Jonathan, following comments from political figures, including former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who recently described the ex-leader as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) strongest option for 2027. Lamido had urged the party to “woo” Jonathan back into its fold to challenge Tinubu.
Reacting to such calls, Bwala alleged that some individuals with ulterior motives were trying to lure Jonathan into the race to damage his hard-earned international reputation. “I see that some unscrupulous elements are trying to hoodwink former President Goodluck Jonathan to come into politics so that they can destroy his reputation, which, after he left government, he has been building by becoming an international figure globally,” he said.
Bwala argued that Tinubu’s political influence now extends to the South-South geopolitical zone, Jonathan’s home base, and questioned the sincerity of northern political figures reportedly encouraging the former president.
“The elements that are going to him in the north, asking him to run—were they not the ones that chased him away? So, what hope does he have that this time around they are calling him because they mean well for him?” he asked.
He further warned that the political class seeking to “cajole” Jonathan back into partisan politics may not have his best interests at heart.
“I know former President Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than that,” Bwala stated. “But if former President Jonathan decides to run, let me tell you, I have seen the political climate in Nigeria today, and I will speak to facts, not conjectures: there is not a single politician that has the capacity to knock off President Bola Tinubu on all fronts.”
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, lost his re-election bid to the now-late former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.
