Wike opposes proposed Jonathan's return as president in 2027, gives reason

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised those pushing Goodluck Jonathan to contest in the 2027 presidential election.

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Mr Wike spoke on Thursday night when he appeared as a guest on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

Mr Jonathan served as Nigerian president under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 2010 to 2015 before he was defeated by the then APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, in August, said Mr Jonathan was among those being considered by the PDP for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.

Apart from Mr Mohammed, the chairperson of the PDP Governors Forum, other party chieftains have hinted that the former president would likely become the party’s flagbearer in the 2027 presidential election.

‘They’re only looking for a crisis’

But speaking on the TV programme, Mr Wike, a member of the PDP, said it was hypocritical that those pushing Mr Jonathan to seek reelection were the same people who frustrated the former president’s second term bid in 2015.

“Anybody saying Jonathan should return because he will only do one term is only looking for a crisis.

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“These are the same people who abandoned him in 2015. Why now? Jonathan has made a name for himself globally, and they just want to drag him into unnecessary conflict,” he said.

The FCT minister contended that pushing Mr Jonathan or any southern candidate under the pretext of a “one-term presidency” is an insincere ploy and a threat to Nigeria’s political balance.

Background

Mr Jonathan, having served for one term of four years in the past, can only serve for one more term if elected Nigeria’s president in 2027.

The Nigerian constitution allows elected presidents to serve only two terms of four years each.

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Mr Wike’s opposition comes weeks after the PDP zoned its presidential ticket to southern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election.

Meanwhile, the FCT minister is a member of the PDP, although he serves in the APC administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Wike has been accused of sabotaging the PDP to the benefit of the Tinubu administration, but he has always maintained that he is a loyal member and benefactor of the PDP.

Despite serving in the APC administration, the former Rivers governor has repeatedly vowed never to leave the PDP.