2027: Jonathan qualified to contest, says cousin

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is constitutionally qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election if he so wishes, his cousin, Azibaola Robert, has said. Robert made the declaration yesterday on his verified Facebook page while criticising the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo (SAN), and legal scholar Prof. Chidi Odinkalu for opposing Jonathan’s speculated ambition. He warned […]

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is constitutionally qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election if he so wishes, his cousin, Azibaola Robert, has said.

Robert made the declaration yesterday on his verified Facebook page while criticising the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo (SAN), and legal scholar Prof. Chidi Odinkalu for opposing Jonathan’s speculated ambition. He warned both men to steer clear of his cousin’s political choices.

Keyamo and Odinkalu had urged the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) not to consider Jonathan as a flag-bearer, arguing that his return would face legal hurdles since he had already been sworn in twice as president.

But Robert insisted Jonathan’s eligibility was beyond dispute and that he required no unsolicited counsel.

“Dear Festus Keyamo (SAN), Chidi Odinkalu (Prof.), I greet both of you. For the record, three of us are lawyers. We were all pro-democracy activists in the 90s, and I was a better activist than both of you combined.

“Rule No. 1: Do not offer legal advice where none is solicited. GEJ (PDP) has numerous, more cerebral, more experienced SANs at his disposal who give him sound, unblemished professional legal advice.

“Please note: GEJ is 100% constitutionally and legally qualified to contest, if he chooses to. If he decides not to yield to the overwhelming calls to run, it will not be because he is unqualified.

“Your unsolicited legal view is not of any concern to him and will never be. Don’t waste your precious time dwelling on this.

“Or should I schedule a meeting so you can be properly educated on the subsisting court judgements on the matter—one of which your party, APC, was a party to?”

Robert, however, clarified that his statement should not be taken as confirmation that Jonathan would run in 2027.

Even though Jonathan has yet to make a formal declaration on the 2027 race, his rumoured ambition has already stirred debate among political opponents. There have also been questions over his eligibility based on the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Meanwhile, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has advised Jonathan against joining the 2027 presidential race, urging him to continue enjoying his role as a statesman rather than returning to partisan contests.

Speaking during a media chat with journalists in Abuja on Monday, Wike argued that those pushing Jonathan back into the race were the same political actors who “played him” during the 2015 elections.

The minister warned that the PDP should avoid decisions that could deepen its internal crisis.

Wike also dismissed suggestions in some quarters that Peter Obi, the former Anambra governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, should be brought back into the PDP fold. According to him, such a move would be disastrous.

“Obi was abusing the party, saying it is rotten. So now the party is suddenly good enough for him to come and contest on its platform?” Wike asked. “That kind of ambition can make people even go to Satan’s house.”

He said opening PDP’s doors to Obi after his public criticisms of the party would only worsen its troubles.

“Anybody suggesting that Obi should return is entitled to their opinion. But if you want to destroy this party, then bring Obi back,” the minister said.

Wike further reiterated that he has no intention of running against President Bola Tinubu in 2027, despite zoning discussions that point to the South.

“I will not run,” he declared. “I have integrity, and I have character. My position is clear. There is no way my appointer is there, and we are saying he should run, and then I turn around and say I want to contest?”