2027: Jonathan’s dismal track record’ll work against him – Presidency

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has dismissed recent calls by former information minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, for former president Goodluck Jonathan to contest the presidency again.

The Presidency dismissed the notion with criticism of Jonathan’s past governance, emphasising the economic difficulties faced during his administration and affirming that Nigerians will not easily forget his dismal record.

In a statement signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency welcomed former President Jonathan to the race but warned that his past “dismal” performance would work against him. The statement declared, “Former President Jonathan is welcome to the race. Nigerians will remember his dismal record in office.” It described the issues raised by Gana, who recently asserted that Jonathan would contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as “absurd.”

Gana had expressed confidence that Jonathan would reclaim power after 12 years, saying Nigerians were “now asking us to bring back our friend, former President Goodluck Jonathan.” He claimed Jonathan’s ambition was deferred out of respect for lives lost in 2015 and portrayed PDP as a party truly democratic and grassroots-oriented.

Responding to Gana’s endorsement, the Presidency stated, “Professor Gana of the defunct MAMSER fame is free to delude himself and engage in his usual comedy.” It urged Jonathan to beware of “PDP sugar-coated cheerleaders,” warning that politicians like Gana would use him to serve their “personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests” and abandon him midstream as happened in 2015.

The Presidency noted, “President Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. It is his inalienable right to contest the presidency again. President Tinubu will wholeheartedly welcome him.” Yet, the statement underscored that Jonathan would face legal and public scrutiny: “the jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as president, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest the presidency and be sworn in, if successful, for a third term.”

Beyond legal eligibility, the Presidency focused heavily on Jonathan’s governance record. It recalled how his administration, spanning six years, was marked by a “lack of any clear economic agenda” that “engaged in frivolous spending,” leaving the country in “dire straits” economically. The statement highlighted the depletion of Nigeria’s foreign reserves from $46 billion in 2010 to less than $30 billion by 2015 and criticized the mismanagement of the Excess Crude Account, which dwindled from $20 billion to $2 billion despite record oil revenues during Jonathan’s tenure.

Further indictments centered on corruption and misuse of public funds, especially funds allocated for security, which the statement claimed were “freely distributed to friends and cronies,” including Jonathan’s National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

The statement also referenced the fuel subsidy abuses, foreign exchange misallocations, and salary arrears that plagued states under Jonathan’s watch [instagram].

In stark contrast, the Presidency praised the current administration under President Tinubu for economic stabilization and reforms within his first 28 months in office. The statement cited the removal of fuel subsidy, abolition of multiple exchange rates, and fiscal measures leading to GDP growth of 4.23% in Q2 2025 (exceeding IMF projections), inflation drop to 20.12% in August 2025—the lowest in three years—and a foreign reserve level of $42.03 billion. It also mentioned infrastructure development projects, like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and efforts at security improvements as key achievements of Tinubu’s government.

Concluding, the Presidency challenged former President Jonathan and the PDP to consider whether Nigerians would allow a return to past economic mismanagement. “They broke the economy before, but millions of Nigerians, who will not easily forget the recent past, will not allow them to return and run it down again,” the release warned.