BSGISTNEWS reports that the Presidency on Monday said former President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest the 2027 general elections, but warned that his “dismal record in office” remains fresh in the minds of Nigerians.
The remarks came in response to suggestions by former Minister of Information and PDP chieftain, Professor Jerry Gana, that Jonathan could return to power under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement titled “Former President Jonathan is welcome to the race. Nigerians will remember his dismal record in office”, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the PDP’s strategy as “absurd,” noting that the party “bequeathed a legacy of economic ruins after 16 years of bad governance.”
“President Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. It is his inalienable right to contest the presidency again,” Onanuga said.
“But Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land…and will also have his encounter with the people as to whether he has anything new to offer after his disastrous six years, for which they voted him out in 2015.”
Onanuga dismissed Gana’s optimism that Jonathan could defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, cautioning the former president against relying on “sugar-coated cheerleaders” within the PDP who abandoned him in 2015.
The Presidency accused Jonathan’s government of fiscal irresponsibility and corruption, noting that despite oil averaging $100 per barrel between 2010 and 2013, his administration left behind depleted reserves.
Onanuga stated that Jonathan inherited $66bn in reserves and $20bn in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) but left behind less than $30bn in reserves and only $2bn in the ECA by 2015. He added that by late 2014, the administration could no longer pay federal salaries, while 28 states owed arrears.
In contrast, Onanuga highlighted what he described as Tinubu’s “giant strides” in economic reforms, citing:
- GDP growth of 4.23% in Q2 2025, surpassing IMF projections.
- Inflation decline to 20.12%, the lowest in three years.
- Foreign reserves at $42bn.
- Stabilisation of the naira and restored investor confidence.
He also listed infrastructure projects such as the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto–Badagry Highway as evidence of the administration’s achievements.
“The nation has turned the corner. And our people have started reaping the gains of the bold reforms instituted by the Tinubu administration,” he said.
While stressing that Jonathan is “welcome to the 2027 race,” Onanuga insisted that Nigerians would not allow the PDP to “return and run the economy down again.”
