Jonathan has obtained 2027 PDP Presidential Form, Umar Sani claims

Former presidential aide and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Sani, has claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan has already obtained a presidential nomination form ahead of the 2027 general elections. Sani made the disclosure during an appearance on Tuesday, sparking renewed conversations about Jonathan’s possible return to active politics nearly 12 years after he left office.

Sani, who previously served as senior special assistant on media and publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, said Jonathan’s recent consultations across political circles were strong indications that the former president was seriously considering another presidential bid. His comments come amid growing speculation about Jonathan’s political future, although the former president has yet to officially declare his ambition or reveal the political platform he may use.

According to Sani, internal challenges within the PDP may have influenced Jonathan’s cautious approach to openly declaring his intentions. However, he rejected claims that party members were merely attempting to use Jonathan’s popularity to revive the party’s fortunes ahead of the next election cycle.

He stressed that Jonathan’s actions already demonstrated clear political interest and argued that the procurement of a nomination form was one of the strongest indicators of seriousness in politics. “The issue is not about whether we will extract commitment from him. What is most important in politics is action. If your action suggests you are interested, there are certain actions to follow. One of which is the procurement of the nomination form,” Sani stated.

Sani went further to insist that Jonathan had already completed that process and was preparing to formally submit the documents. “He has procured the nomination form. In fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly. So it is not an issue of whether we are trying to bring or use him for our face-saving grace, whatever. No,” he said. He added, “The fact of the matter is that we believe that Jonathan is the right choice at this moment.”

The PDP chieftain also addressed the legal dispute surrounding Jonathan’s eligibility to contest for the presidency again. He expressed confidence that the suit challenging the former president’s eligibility would ultimately fail, maintaining that the issue had already been settled by previous judicial decisions. “We are very confident that the matter will be thrown out because you cannot relitigate something that has already been decided upon,” Sani said.

According to him, only the Supreme Court could reverse earlier rulings regarding Jonathan’s eligibility. He argued that the pending matter before Justice Peter Lifu would most likely be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction when it comes up on May 26. Sani maintained that attempts to stop Jonathan from contesting again would not succeed under the current legal framework.

Sani also dismissed suggestions that Jonathan’s supporters were only using his name for political relevance. He argued that many Nigerians still hold emotional connections to the former president because of memories from his administration. 

“Most Nigerians know him and are nostalgic about Jonathan. At the time he left office, many people felt the PDP was not performing, but now Nigerians have seen the difference clearly,” he said. Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 before losing re-election to former President Muhammadu Buhari. Since leaving office, he has largely focused on diplomatic and mediation efforts across Africa while staying away from direct partisan politics.