The Presidency has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest the 2027 presidential election but insisted that Nigerians will judge him on what it described as his “dismal record” in office, contrasting that era with what it called the “giant economic strides” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described the early political manoeuvres around 2027 as “premature” and “a cacophony of voices… signifying nothing.”
It singled out former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, for “attempting to draft Jonathan into the race,” dismissing the PDP as “discredited” after 16 years of “bad governance.”
While acknowledging Jonathan’s constitutional right to seek office, the Presidency noted that such a bid “will face judicial scrutiny” since Jonathan had been sworn in twice as president.
“The jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest the presidency and be sworn in, if successful, for a third term,” the statement said.
The Presidency also cautioned Jonathan to be “wary of PDP sugar-coated cheerleaders,” alleging that figures like Gana were pushing him into the race for “personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests” and would “abandon him midstream, as they did in 2015.”
Revisiting Jonathan’s years in office, it alleged his administration left the economy in decline despite oil averaging $100 per barrel for much of his tenure. According to the statement, Jonathan inherited $66 billion in reserves and Excess Crude Account funds in 2010 but left less than $32 billion by 2015. It further claimed that by late 2014, the Federal Government was struggling to pay civil servants, while 28 states owed salaries.
By contrast, the Presidency said Tinubu had “reset the economy” through subsidy removal and forex unification, citing reported gains such as 4.23% GDP growth in Q2 2025, inflation down to 20.12% in August, reserves at $42.03 billion, and a “virtually stabilised naira.”
It added that investor confidence had been restored, infrastructure projects like the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto–Badagry Highway were underway, and security challenges were being addressed.
“The PDP and Jerry Gana’s co-travellers broke the economy; President Tinubu is fixing it,” the statement declared. “Jonathan and others are welcome to the 2027 race, but Nigerians who remember the recent past will not allow them to return and run it down again.”
