“You’ll be defeated,” Oshiomhole warns Jonathan against joining 2027 presidential race

By Ayox Ojo

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has warned former President Goodluck Jonathan that he will be defeated if he took the advice of those urging him to contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State said this while reacting to calls on the former President to join the 2027 presidential race by some opposition politicians.

Prof. Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information and National Orientation had in a recent statement asserted moving to draft former President Goodluck Jonathan into the 2027 presidential race.

Gana, a member of Board of Trustees of opposition Peoples Democratic Party had asserted that Jonathan would contest the 2027 presidency on the platform of the party.

The former President had also been seen paying visits to chieftains of opposition coalition’s African Democratic Congress, ADC, thus further giving vent to speculations that he may be gearing up to contest the 2027 presidency.

However, Jonathan had not spoken on the speculations that he may be planning to attempt a return to Aso Rock presidential villa.
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Reacting to the speculations, Oshiomhole advised Jonathan not to heed the calls in order not to damage his legacy.

The Senator who said this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, added that only enemies of the former president would want to attempt a return to Aso Rock.

He, however, said that Jonathan would would be defeated in 2027 by the ruling APC if he ignored his advice and decided to join the presidential race in 2007.

2027: Allow Jonathan to enjoy retirement from public office – APC tells PDP

Oshiomhole spoke just as the Lagos chapter of APC advised the PDP to allow the former President to enjoy his retirement from public office in peace, rather than luring him into 2027 race.

Jonathan needs overdose of good luck to stand a chance

The party’s spokesman, Mr Seye Oladejo, a statement said rather than luring Jonathan into “a final dance whose result is all too predictable”, the cheerleaders should allowed the former Nigerian leader to relax.

“Indeed, if he chooses to run, President Jonathan will need more than an overdose of good luck to stand a chance.

“The landmines before him are numerous – legal, past records, and fundamental questions of capacity,” he said.

Speaking on Gana’s public remark at the PDP Niger State Congress in Minna, Oladejo said that election remained contests of ideas, competence and delivery – not nostalgia or recycled rhetoric.

He said: “Prof. Gana’s certainty that a particular individual will be the PDP candidate or that Nigerians are clamouring for a return to the past is premature and political theatre.

“We acknowledge and appreciate Prof. Gana’s sense of humour, which may be entertaining but is out of place in serious political discourse.

“It may also be interesting to interrogate his continued relevance, having been around the corridors of power forever without leaving behind any remarkable legacy of transformation or notable accomplishments.”

He said that Gana arrogating to himself the sole power to determine the presidential candidate of a whole political party has exposed the PDP’s disdain for internal democracy.

He said PDP is unlike the APC, which remained firmly committed to internal democracy and a transparent nomination process.

“The PDP and other opposition parties appear to be working towards already pre-determined ends as far as their presidential candidates are concerned,” he said.

Oladejo advised Gana not to unnecessarily heat up the polity by embarking on campaigns before the official ban on electioneering is lifted by the electoral body.

He described the declaration as total disregard for due process.

According to him, since 2023, Nigerians have been witnessing major policy shifts and bold reforms aimed at revitalising the economy, attracting investment, and expanding social interventions.

He said: “Lagos APC stands firmly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda to fix the economy and build infrastructure that creates jobs and improves lives.

“We will continue to defend policies that prioritise the future over the past.

“The APC in Lagos calls on all political actors – including the PDP and its chieftains – to desist from divisive nostalgia and instead present clear, implementable programmes for the challenges Nigerians actually face.

“If the PDP truly believes Mr Jonathan is the solution, they should lay out specific, detailed policy proposals and submit them for public scrutiny rather than making pronouncements that sound like campaign hype.”