Former presidential media aide, Bashir Ahmad, has alleged that a group of political actors is mounting pressure on former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election — a move he describes as politically motivated and not in the interest of national development.
Ahmad, a former digital media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, made the claim in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday.
He stated that the push for Jonathan’s return is gaining traction among certain political elements, particularly those who believe he remains a viable candidate in northern Nigeria.
“From all indications, there are ongoing subtle moves by certain political elements trying to convince former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest again in 2027,” Ahmad wrote.
He explained that the rationale behind the push hinges on the perception that Jonathan, a Southerner, would serve only one term if elected—making his candidacy more acceptable in the North due to the expected return of power after 2027.
“They calculate that his candidacy will be easy to market in the North under the guise that he would only serve a single term,” he added.
However, Ahmad expressed concern over the motivations behind the move, arguing that the push is driven more by political convenience and power rotation than by any genuine development agenda.
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“The troubling part is that this push is not rooted in what he would offer the North or the country at large, but merely in political convenience and power rotation. The North deserves more than being used as a political ladder,” he said.
Though Jonathan has not publicly responded to the speculation, political analysts believe he remains one of the few politicians from the South with the national appeal and political clout to challenge President Bola Tinubu in a potential 2027 rematch—especially with support from influential blocs in the North.
Jonathan, who served as President from 2010 to 2015, was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general elections.
Since then, he has largely stayed out of partisan politics but has remained active in diplomatic and peace-building roles across Africa.
As 2027 draws nearer, talk of realignments and surprise comebacks continues to intensify, with Jonathan’s name resurfacing as a potential game-changer in what promises to be a high-stakes political contest.