The Presidency has declared that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s record in office would be a major obstacle if he chooses to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Monday, dismissed remarks by former Information Minister Jerry Gana suggesting Jonathan would run under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing them as “delusional.”
Onanuga said Jonathan’s tenure was marked by economic mismanagement, corruption, and weak governance, arguing that Nigerians would not forget the hardships experienced under his administration.
“Prof. Jerry Gana affirmed that the former president would contest the coming election on the platform of the discredited PDP, which bequeathed a legacy of economic ruin after 16 years of bad governance,” Onanuga said. “He even deluded himself that Jonathan would defeat President Tinubu after 12 years.”
The presidential aide noted that Jonathan could also face legal hurdles, as he was sworn in twice, and warned him against being misled by PDP loyalists pursuing “selfish, ethnic, religious, and political motives.”
Onanuga accused Jonathan’s administration of squandering oil revenues, depleting reserves, and failing to pay salaries despite crude selling for over $100 per barrel for much of his tenure. He alleged that foreign reserves fell from $66 billion in 2010 to below $30 billion in 2015, while the Excess Crude Account dropped from $20 billion to $2 billion.
In contrast, he said President Bola Tinubu had stabilised the economy through subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and other reforms. He cited recent gains, including GDP growth of 4.23 percent in Q2 2025, inflation falling to 20.12 percent in August, and foreign reserves at $42 billion.
“President Jonathan and others are welcome to the 2027 race,” Onanuga said. “But millions of Nigerians, who will not easily forget the recent past, will not allow them to return and run the economy down again.”
