BY GODWIN OBI /JAMES AKINOLA
Nigeria’s political landscape is heating up ahead of the 2027 presidential elections as the Presidency has openly welcomed former President Goodluck Jonathan to join the race — but with a sharp warning that Nigerians must never forget what it described as his “disastrous” six-year tenure.
Presidential spokesman and Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a fiery statement on Monday, said while Jonathan has the inalienable right to contest, he will have to face the Nigerian people — and possibly the courts — over both his eligibility and his performance in office.
Onanuga was reacting to comments credited to Professor Jerry Gana, who recently suggested that Jonathan could return to power on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and even defeat President Bola Tinubu.
“Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. President Tinubu will wholeheartedly welcome him if he decides to enter the race,” Onanuga said.
“But Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land on his eligibility and his encounter with the people over his dismal record.”
PRESIDENCY LAMBASTS JONATHAN’S TENURE
The statement pulled no punches, accusing Jonathan of wrecking Nigeria’s economy between 2010 and 2015 through reckless spending, mismanagement of oil revenues, and diversion of security funds.
Onanuga alleged that Jonathan’s government depleted the nation’s foreign reserves from $66 billion in 2010 to less than $30 billion by 2015, while the Excess Crude Account dropped from $20 billion to just $2 billion despite record oil earnings.
By 2014, the spokesman claimed, Jonathan’s administration could no longer pay federal salaries, while at least 28 states owed workers arrears, even though crude oil averaged $100 per barrel for three consecutive years.
“Jonathan and his National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), turned national security funds into a bazaar, distributing them to cronies and friends,” the Presidency said.
TINUBU FIXING WHAT JONATHAN BROKE
In contrast, Onanuga painted President Tinubu as a reformer who has “turned the corner” on the economy by removing fuel subsidies, abolishing multiple exchange rates, and restoring investor confidence.
According to him, the results are already showing:
- GDP growth of 4.23% in Q2 2025, the highest in four years.
- Inflation reduced to 20.12%, the lowest in three years.
- Foreign reserves rising to $42.03 billion.
- The naira stabilising against major currencies.
- Renewed investment in infrastructure, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway.
“The PDP broke the economy; President Tinubu is fixing it,” the statement declared.
JONATHAN’S LOOMING TEST
Onanuga also suggested that Jonathan might face a constitutional test in court over whether he is eligible to contest again, having already been sworn in twice as president.
More significantly, he warned that Nigerians would not “allow those who wrecked the country before to return and run it down again,” insisting that the electorate has not forgotten the hardships of Jonathan’s era.
As the 2027 elections draw nearer, Jonathan’s potential return has already triggered fierce political fireworks, setting the stage for what could become one of Nigeria’s most dramatic electoral battles in recent history.
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