Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday told a crowd of youths at his Abuja residence that he would consult widely before deciding whether to enter the 2027 presidential race, after they turned up to pressure him to run again. The rally, organized by a group under the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan, filled the area around Taraba Close in Maitama and slowed traffic across the neighborhood.
The demonstrators chanted songs and slogans backing Jonathan’s return to the ballot and cast him as a unifying figure they said could help steer Nigeria through its current troubles. Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015 before losing his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, answered them with caution. “I’ve heard you loud and clear. I will consult widely before taking any decision,” he said.
The show of support is part of a broader push by groups urging Jonathan back into active politics ahead of the 2027 presidential race. The Coalition for Jonathan 2027 also visited him in his office in Abuja on Thursday, with its leader, Dr. Tom Ohikere, saying the group had made a similar appeal on April 8, 2026 and had gone on asking whether Jonathan would heed what it called a call to save the country from collapse. Jonathan did not give that answer. Instead, he told the youths that the issue was too serious to treat casually and that he could not simply wake up and decide to become president again.
He also used the encounter to turn the spotlight back on the young people in front of him. Jonathan called on them to register, obtain voter cards and take part more actively in civic and political life, saying peaceful, transparent and credible elections were essential. He said Nigeria had one of the highest levels of voter apathy he had observed anywhere in the world and told the crowd that if about half of those before him did not even have voter cards, they could not reasonably demand more from the political process while remaining on the sidelines. The message was clear: if Jonathan is to be part of 2027, he wants to see more than cheering at the gate.
That leaves the next step with Jonathan himself. He said he would consult and wait if necessary, but he offered no commitment to run, keeping alive the speculation that has followed him for months as more groups ask goodluck jonathan to return to the contest. For now, the crowd left with applause, traffic in Maitama eased and the biggest question remained exactly where he put it — in his own hands.
