A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party has claimed that former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has already obtained a presidential nomination form ahead of the 2027 general election.
The claim was made by Umar Sani, a former presidential aide and senior special assistant on media and publicity to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, during an interview on Trust TV on Tuesday.
According to a report by Punch Newspapers, Sani said Jonathan’s political actions suggest he is seriously considering a return to active politics nearly 12 years after leaving office.
“The issue is not about whether we will extract commitment from him. What is most important in politics is action,” Sani said.
“One of which is the procurement of the nomination form. He has procured the nomination form. In fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly.”
Jonathan has yet to officially declare his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election or confirm the political platform he may use.
Sani linked the former president’s cautious approach to internal crises within the PDP, dismissing suggestions that party members were merely using Jonathan’s popularity for political relevance.
He also expressed confidence that the legal challenge against Jonathan’s eligibility to contest again would fail in court.
“We are very confident that the matter will be thrown out because you cannot relitigate something that has already been decided upon,” Sani stated.
According to him, only the Supreme Court could overturn earlier decisions on Jonathan’s eligibility, adding that the matter before Justice Peter Lifu is expected to be dismissed when it comes up on May 26.
Sani further argued that many Nigerians remain nostalgic about Jonathan’s administration, claiming public perception of the PDP had changed since the party lost power in 2015.
Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 before losing his re-election bid to former president Muhammadu Buhari.
Since leaving office, Jonathan has largely focused on diplomatic and mediation roles across Africa while staying away from frontline partisan politics.
