Former President Goodluck Jonathan said Thursday he would consult widely before deciding whether to join the 2027 presidential race, after youths on the platform of the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan visited his Abuja residence to urge him to run. He told the group the race is not a computer game, but said he had heard their appeal.
“Yes, you are asking me to come and contest the next elections. Presidential race is not a computer game, but I’ve heard you, and I’ll consult widely,” Jonathan told the youths. He also urged young Nigerians to take part in electoral processes by getting their voter cards, saying voter apathy remains one of the country’s biggest problems.
Jonathan said he had observed elections in more than 14 African countries and in Southeast Asia, and argued that Nigeria records the lowest turnout in every election cycle. He said the country also has the highest voter apathy, adding that peace remains central to Nigeria’s progress and to credible elections. “The key thing we need in this country is peace,” he said. He also said Nigeria must urgently address the Japa syndrome.
The visit came as Jonathan faces a fresh legal challenge over whether he can run again. A Federal High Court in Abuja fixed Friday, May 8, for hearing a suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi seeking to stop him from contesting the 2027 presidential election. The suit asks the court to declare Jonathan ineligible under the Nigerian Constitution, to restrain him from joining any political party as a presidential candidate and to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting or publishing his name.
Jonathan, INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation are listed as defendants. The plaintiff argues that Jonathan completed the remaining tenure of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua after his death in 2010 and later won another full term in 2011. That timeline is now at the center of the legal fight, and Jonathan’s next move is being weighed against it. He has said he will not rush the decision. “I will consult. I cannot just wake up and say I want to be the president of Nigeria again. But I am telling you that I will consult. If there is a need to, I will wait,” he said.
