The People’s Democratic Party has denied reports that it is courting former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election on its platform.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, addressed the matter in an interview with BBC Hausa, clarifying that the party has neither offered its presidential ticket to Jonathan nor invited him to participate in the race.
Abdullahi stated, “The report that PDP has issued its presidential ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan or invited him to contest the 2027 presidential election is false. What happened was this: I had an interview with a journalist who asked for my opinion on Jonathan, given reports suggesting he is being urged to run for the presidency.”
Explaining further, Abdullahi acknowledged that Jonathan is constitutionally eligible to contest, as he has one term left, but he stressed that this was not an indication of PDP’s intentions.
“I said Jonathan is eligible to run because, as a Nigerian, the law allows him to contest. He still has one more term left. There is nothing wrong with him contesting if he so desires, but that doesn’t mean the PDP has approached him or offered him the ticket,” Abdullahi clarified.
The PDP spokesman emphasized that the party has already done enough for Jonathan and is not actively seeking his return. He highlighted the party’s strength, citing its 12 governors and a robust pool of capable politicians who could vie for the presidency.
He also referred to remarks by Dame Patience Jonathan, Jonathan’s wife, who previously declared that her husband had no intention of returning to Aso Villa, as there was nothing left behind to warrant a comeback.
“Ticket is given to someone who has shown interest. It wasn’t long ago that his wife said he wouldn’t run for presidency again. How then can we consider him?” Abdullahi questioned.
In addition, Abdullahi stated that the PDP has not held any discussions with Jonathan about the 2027 election and is instead focused on leveraging its current candidates’ strengths to position the party for success in future elections.
