Former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has cautioned former President Goodluck Jonathan against succumbing to pressure to contest the 2027 presidential election, saying such a move would harm his legacy and diminish the respect he currently enjoys as a statesman.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Oshiomhole stated that only those who do not wish Jonathan well would urge him to re-enter the political arena, adding that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would easily defeat him if he decides to run.
“How can Jonathan be a threat? We defeated him before when PDP was truly PDP,” Oshiomhole said. “If a man had PDP at its best, at its peak, and he was defeated, I think only his enemy will push him to go into election.”
The former APC national chairman urged Jonathan to maintain his dignified position as an elder statesman rather than risk eroding his hard-earned reputation.
“If I were able to advise him, I will say, Sir, maintain this status. You governed for eight years, you don’t have to govern for nine,” Oshiomhole advised.
According to him, Jonathan has managed to stay relevant and respected out of power, a rare feat in Nigerian politics. He commended Jonathan’s historic concession speech in 2015, describing it as one of the former president’s most admirable legacies.
“Looking at how he ascended to that office, if I were him, I will spend the end of my life trying to find relevance, which he has already found, and speaking because that conceding defeat, and that is memorable quote about my blood, sorry, blood of a Nigerian is not worth my ambition, he should just allow those legacies to be,” he said.
Oshiomhole also argued that Jonathan’s political base in the South-South region had weakened since his departure from office, making any comeback attempt unrealistic.
“We will defeat him flatly if he comes out because now the South-South is no longer PDP. So where is he going to start from?” he asked.
Jonathan, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lost the 2015 presidential election to the late Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
What you should know
Adams Oshiomhole, a key figure in the ruling APC and former national chairman of the party, played a significant role in the 2015 campaign that unseated Jonathan.
His recent remarks reflect ongoing political speculation about Jonathan’s potential return, though the former president has not indicated any such intention.
