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2027: Jonathan keeps mum as northern opposition intensifies pressure

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Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, pressure is mounting on former President, Goodluck Jonathan to join the race.

The former president is under pressure, especially from the northern opposition, to declare his interest to run against President Bola Tinubu.

Jonathan served as Nigerian president for about five years.

The former Bayelsa State governor became a president by chance following the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in May 2010.

Yar’Adua served as the president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death in May 2010.

He won the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April, 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007.

On Thursday May 6, 2010, Jonathan was sworn in as 14th head of state and 4th executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

After completing the tenure of Yar’Adua, Jonathan contested and won the presidential election in 2011 but was defeated by the coalition of political parties under the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015, in his second attempt.

Back then in 2015, there was heated debate about an individual being sworn in thrice as the President of Nigeria as some groups opposed Jonathan’s emergence for this reason.

It was had then reported that some Northern youths called on Jonathan to bury his second term ambition, declaring that no Nigerian President can be sworn in thrice.

The youths, under the aegis of Arewa Youths Forum, AYF, said the then president had taken the oath of office twice.

The debate resonated again in 2023 when different positions on his eligibility for the 2023 presidential election made the rounds.

However, a Federal High Court in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, in a judgment delivered on Friday, May 27, 2022, cleared Jonathan for the 2023 Presidential contest.

This happened hours to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential primary elections as there was anticipation that he would join the contest.

And by then, the former President was linked with the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential race following the reported purchase of N100 million form on his behalf by a Fulani group.

The court held that Jonathan, who lost the 2015 election to President Muhammadu Buhari, could still vie for the highest political office in the country.

The presiding judge, Justice Isa Hamma Dashen, who gave the judgement, also held that Jonathan’s right to contest for the office of president in 2023 cannot be stopped by any retroactive law.

In an originating summons filed by Andy Solomon and Idibiye Abraham, the plaintiffs sought an order of the court stating that Jonathan is not affected by the fourth alteration to the constitution barring Vice-Presidents who succeed their principals from serving more than one full term.

APC, Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral Commission were listed as defendants in the suit marked FHC/YNG/CS/86/2022, before Justice Isa Dashen.

However, Jonathan did not contest during the 2023 presidential election, even with the claims that then President Muhammadu Buhari was aiming at compensating the Bayelsa-born politician for relinquishing power to him in 2015.

And now, as political discussions for 2027 have commenced in earnest, the former president appears to be under pressure to enter the race.

Just like in 2023, the pressure seems to be coming mostly from the North.

In accordance with the gentleman’s agreement between the north and the south, Jonathan’s presidency would favour the north as he would have to do just one term in office with no room for a second, according to the constitution.

Although the former President has not made public his decision on whether or not he is entering the race, those around are being quoted to say that he will be one of the leading candidates to confront President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential poll.

He is rumoured to be readying himself to run on the platform of the People Democratic Party, PDP, with stories in some sections of the media claiming that he had already accepted.

Meanwhile, as Jonathan’s potential candidacy for the 2027 presidential election remains uncertain, with no official announcements or confirmations from him or the PDP regarding his intentions, some Nigerians and political observers have recently shared divergent views about him.

Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District, in a recent interview on Channels Television, gave reasons Jonathan should not contest the forthcoming 2027 presidential election.

Sani said the PDP, the party Jonathan used to win the election in 2011, is no longer the same.

He advised the ex-president to jettison the idea of running for president come 2027.

Also, Dele Farotimi, a frontline lawyer, said that some politicians are trying hard to rebrand Jonathan, who was voted out of office by Nigerians in 2015 for valid reasons.

He pointed out that there were good reasons Nigerians decided to vote Jonathan out in 2015 which they believed was the solution to the country’s problems, but ended up in a worse situation

For a human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, Jonathan is not interested in contesting the 2027 presidential election.

Meanwhile, when asked , if the PDP was ready to receive Jonathan’s ambition with open arms and hand him the party’s sole presidential ticket, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the matter was still speculative.

But in a telephone interview , Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, a Lagos PDP chieftain and former member, Atiku Abubakar 2023 presidential campaign council, said he does not expect someone like Goodluck Jonathan to get the nod of the PDP even if he shows interest to run in the election.

Pearse, a former PDP national chairmanship aspirant and gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, said Goodluck Jonathan, a full member of PDP, was more than welcome to come and run if he wants to, especially as the party has zoned the presidency to the South.

However, he noted that Jonathan has not been an active member of the party, doesn’t fund the party and shows no moral support.

He pointed out that Jonathan’s candidacy could lead to litigation, a risk the PDP is not ready to take.

“He’s not just coming to PDP. Jonathan is a member of PDP. He has not been very active; nonetheless, he’s a full member of the party.

“So as a member of the party, and since the party has zoned the presidency to the south, he’s more than welcome to come and run if he wants to run.

“My suspicion, though, is two things. Number one, he has been away from the party. He has not been involved, he has not been helpful, he has not been encouraging.

“He has not been funding the party, no moral support for about five years now. Therefore, I don’t see how he could get the nomination, because where will he get the delegates, so that’s the problem.

“So if he wants to run, I don’t think he will win the primaries. And by the way, we don’t give tickets to anybody. We support whoever wants to run, and then they go and look for delegates. If they win the primaries with more delegates, then they become the nominee.

“Secondly, I don’t think it is in the best interest of the PDP to even field a person like Jonathan, because there is this question of whether or not he’s even legally qualified to run after being sworn in twice.

“Some people, some legal reading says, yes, you can run. Others, they cannot run. When you have such doubt. Don’t you think it is best for a party not to field him at all, not to support him? You see my point. I think he’s disqualified because court cases will come up. That is too risky. That is the point.

“We have people in the party who are running. The Governor of Oyo state has stated it clearly and he stands a good chance of winning the ticket.

“If he wins the ticket, I assure you he will defeat Tinubu in 2027. So what is this whole cry about Jonathan? I don’t understand what is going on in this country. Some people are calling Jonathan, others are calling for Tinubu, Atiku and all these old expired people.

“Why don’t we even support a new generation of leaders. By 2027, Makinde will be, I think, 59 years old. That’s what we need now. He has been tried in Oyo state, and he has performed extremely well, therefore, we don’t have a problem of who becomes the PDP candidate.

“But if Jonathan is to come, I just told you, my opinion, if he comes, I doubt he would be able to put together a number of delegates to defeat Makinde in the primaries.

“Secondly, it is not in the interest of PDP to field somebody who may become subject of litigation in the future.”

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Over 6.2 million Nigerians complete online voter pre-registration – INEC

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More than 6.2 million Nigerians completed their online pre-registration for the Continuous Voter Registration during week six of the exercise, according to data released by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday.

The figures, published on INEC’s official X handle and website, showed that a total of 6,232,673 pre-registrants were recorded between September 22 and 28, 2025.

Of this number, 3,250,338 were female, representing 52.15 percent, while 2,982,335 were male, accounting for 47.85 percent . Youths aged 18 to 34 continued to dominate the process, with 4,230,715 registering within the period. Students made up a significant portion with 1,565,824 entries, while persons with disabilities totaled 137,865.

INEC also reported that 1,004,132 Nigerians completed both online and physical registrations in Week five, covering the period from September 22 to 26, 2025.

This figure includes 537,743 who finalized their registration online and 466,389 who completed the process physically.

Demographic data for the completed registrations in week five showed that 555,077 were female (55.28 percent) and 449,055 were male (44.72 percent). Youths made up 742,379 of the total, while students were 354,406. The number of registered PWDs during the week stood at 13,987.

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Osun PDP, APC clash as FG releases LG allocations

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The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Sunday, confirmed that the Federal Government had released the withheld six-month allocations for the state’s local government areas.

The APC, however, denied that the funds were paid into the private accounts of council chairmen elected on the platform of the APC in October 2022.

It said the funds were paid “into the local government councils’ accounts.”

However, the ruling PDP, which said it was not aware of the payment, demanded that the APC disclose the details of the accounts the funds were paid into.

The PDP wondered how the Federal Government would release the funds into bank accounts unknown to the state’s accountant general, auditor-general for local governments and the ministry of local governments.

The clash between the two parties comes after the National Union of Local Government Employees accused the Federal Government of illegally releasing the withheld six-month allocation to the APC.

Speaking on behalf of the union on Sunday, NULGE Chairman, Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe,  said the union had confirmed that the Federal Government paid the March–August 2025 allocations into accounts illegally opened by the APC chairmen and councillors despite pending court cases.

He specifically accused the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; the Accountant-General of the Federation, Babatunde Ogunjimi; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), of abusing their offices by facilitating the release.

“Today, we have it on good authority that these three principal officers of the Federal Government have released the Osun State Local Government Councils’ allocations for the month of March 2025 to August 2025 to the illegal bank accounts opened by court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors,” Ogungbangbe said.

“We find this development very scary and alarming.

Paying Local Government allocations into privately opened and illegal bank accounts of politicians is unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented in the history of public administration in Nigeria.”

Ogungbangbe recalled that a Federal High Court had on May 15, 2025, ordered parties to maintain the status quo, an order he said was acknowledged by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which initially withheld payment.

“The Attorney-General cannot assume the role of the Supreme Court by setting aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the sacking of the APC politicians by the Federal High Court. The Attorney-General is not above the law,” he declared.

He also accused the APC of trying to destabilise the state.

“Their ultimate goal is to cause anarchy and use it to call on the President to declare a State of Emergency in the state so that they could loot our resources,” he alleged, adding that council workers would not return to duty posts until the issue was resolved.

But the Osun APC dismissed the allegations, describing them as lies designed to favour the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the APC said: “It is not true that the said federal allocations are paid into the account of any of our local government council chairmen or any of the APC members or chieftain but into the local government councils’ accounts.”

Olabisi further argued that NULGE had no authority to interpret court rulings.

“We want to, as a party which believes in the rule of law, make it abundantly clear that it is not the duty of the NULGE to interpret any court judgment. The Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th of February, 2025, which reinstated the APC local government council chairmen and their councillors, is still in force as there is no record anywhere that it was appealed against.”

He accused the NULGE leadership of pursuing selfish interests and acting as an appendage of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

“The NULGE needs not weave up a series of lies in respect of the payment of the federal allocations… The sing-song of the NULGE before now was that some agencies of the Federal Government were withholding the accumulated federal allocations. Now that the logjam has been laid to rest, what would be their next excuse?” he asked.

The party also urged security agencies to remain on alert.

“We plead with the NULGE to shun brigandage, as Osun, being a subset of the country, is being governed by the rule of law,” the statement read.

Reacting to the revelation and the admission by the APC, Osun PDP called on the APC to disclose the accounts into which the allocations were paid and the signatories of the accounts.

In a statement on Sunday by its Chairman,  Sunday Bisi, the PDP described the release of funds to the APC as a crime against the people of Osun State.

The PDP said rather than attacking NULGE, the APC should “come clean before the people of Osun State by publicly disclosing the exact bank accounts into which the local government allocations were paid and the signatories to those accounts. The APC should also disclose the amount in each of the accounts.”

The PDP said, “We demand these details because all the statutory officers of all the 30 local governments who should be aware of the payment are not aware of it. These officers manage all the accounts of the local governments. They have not seen a dime in any of their local government accounts. Also, none of the state accountant general, the auditor-general for local governments and the ministry of local governments is aware of the payments or where they were paid into.

“The Osun PDP wishes to remind the APC that hurling insults at labour unions cannot change the reality that the people of Osun are demanding answers. The questions are simple: into which accounts were the allocations paid, and who are the signatories?”

The PDP said the APC must urgently provide answers, “or we will conclude that the APC and its leaders have staged the greatest heist in the history of Nigeria by diverting over six months of allocations of all local governments in Osun State.”

“The PDP assures the people of Osun State that under Governor Ademola Adeleke, transparency and accountability will continue to be the guiding principles in the management of public funds. No amount of intimidation or blackmail by the APC will derail this resolve,” Bisi added.

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Adamawa ADC gives Atiku ultimatum to pick membership card

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The African Democratic Congress has issued an ultimatum to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and other prominent figures in the party to register at their respective wards before the end of the year or risk losing recognition as members.

Speaking exclusively to The PUNCH in Yola, the Adamawa State Chairman of the ADC, Shehu Yohanna, said the party had unveiled its membership register, stressing that only those with valid membership cards would be acknowledged.

“Atiku Abubakar should go to his ward in Jada Local Government and register, Babachir should go to his ward in Hong Local Government and register. That is the only way they can be treated as legitimate members of the party,” Yohanna said.

“You cannot be taking decisions for a party you are not constitutionally a member of. All of you should register for the greatness of our party.

“It is illegal for someone to hold a leadership position in the party at the national level without being a registered member. That makes a caricature of the party,” he declared.

Last Thursday, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, reaffirmed the caucus’ resolution that all coalition members resign from their current parties and register fully with the ADC—a directive dismissed as inconsequential by both the APC and PDP.

Atiku’s much-publicised membership registration, initially scheduled for August in his hometown of Jada, was suspended indefinitely last month without explanation.

The PUNCH gathered that the former Vice President is weighing his chances of clinching the ADC’s presidential ticket, particularly in light of the growing influence of Peter Obi’s political movement within the party.

Yohanna dismissed the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as incapable of defeating the ADC in the 2027 general elections.

He added that the ADC boasts politically influential figures and is prepared to wrest power from the APC administration.

“The unfriendly policies of the present government have paved the way for our party to take over and reposition the country for authentic democracy,” he said.

On the reported crisis in the party’s Adamawa chapter, Yohanna maintained that he remained the legitimate chairman.

“My tenure expires in 2026 based on the constitution of the party, so nobody can remove me from office. The ADC is not the estate of anyone; it is a political party registered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo,” he said.

He further claimed that the credentials of ADC governorship aspirants are among the best in Adamawa and indeed across Nigeria.

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