Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Jonathan

As 2027 approaches, former President Goodluck Jonathan is quietly positioning for a return to Aso Rock. Backed by the Kabiru Turaki faction within the PDP and some unlikely allies across party lines, his comeback bid is built on a “national unity” game plan. In this piece, Blueprint.ng correspondent gives more insight.

Laying rumour to rest

Almost 12 years after leaving office, the name Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is echoing again in Nigeria’s political corridors. This time, not as an elder statesman but as a potential candidate to the coveted seat at Aso Rock.

In hushed meetings in Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt, one sentence keeps coming up: “2027: Jonathan.”

But beneath the surface were hidden intrigues: legal hurdles, zoning battles, resistance from governors, and fears of splitting the opposition vote. This report unpacks the strategy, the key players, the obstacles, and why Jonathan’s name is suddenly back in every political calculation.

The whispers have turned into strategy sessions. Sources close to the former president say a comeback bid is no longer a rumour. It is a “game plan” already in motion, with consultants, pollsters, and party strategists quietly on board.

At the centre of the plan is a simple pitch: Jonathan as a bridge. A one-term president who can stabilise the country, reconcile factions, and hand over in 2031.

But despite denial and scheming going on, the PDP is where the battle will be fought first.

A faction of PDP chairmen and BoT members believe Jonathan is the only candidate who can wrest power from the APC in 2027. They justify their stance by pointing to his goodwill in the South-South, South-East, and parts of the North.

Sadly, the party is divided. Another bloc insists the ticket must go North, citing zoning and fairness. To them, Jonathan’s return would “kill the PDP’s zoning arrangement” and trigger mass defection.

And the hidden intrigues

Amids hidden intrigues, multiple sources say talks are ongoing with chieftains in the APC and NNPP who are frustrated with the current administration. The sources who are in the know say the whole idea centred on plans to form a government of national unity with Jonathan as consensus candidate.

However, the legal question has become first landmine. Section 137 of the 1999 Constitution bars anyone who has been sworn in twice as president. Jonathan’s lawyers argue his first term was to complete Yar’Adua’s tenure, not a full term, puzzle that the Supreme Court may have to unravel.

Then, there is the money issue according to findings by Blueprint, reveals that a comeback of this magnitude needs funding.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports filtered out that business leaders from the South-South and diaspora groups have reportedly been approached ahead of the campaign. 

Another hurdle, according to findings by this medium, are the governors of the PDP eyeing 2027.Most of them, who have either ported to ADC, APC, NNPP, APM, or any party at that, it was learnt, see Jonathan as a threat.

The project, the strategy

Today, the brand ‘status’ that Jonathan has attained both locally and internationally has helped his reputation as a peacekeeper in Africa.

While on his foundation’s work in elections across the continent, his “statesman” image back home has continued to be an advantage.

Pundits in the political firmament believe Jonathan would not allow that sink in the political mud all in the name of a second coming bid.

It would not be out of place to reassess Jonathan’s fresh bid, as many are beginning to read an ulterior motives to every of his moves.

Some APC strategists, this medium scoops, believe a Jonathan candidacy would split the opposition and help them, while others fear his cross-regional appeal could peel votes from the South.

Behind closed doors, this medium learnt that the “game plan” has three phases. While plans to test the waters and gauge public mood is already ongoing, there is also a plan to secure PDP structure or negotiate another platform before launching a unity government blueprint.

It was also learnt that though not everyone in Jonathan’s inner circle agrees. Some advisers want him to stay off and play kingmaker, just as others warn that another loss would “end his legacy.”

In the civil society space, there is split too. While some praise his record on elections, others ask tough questions about the economy and security during his first tenure. Those attacks will define the campaign going forward in case he finally succumbed to pressure and throw his hat into the ring.

For now, Jonathan has not spoken publicly. His aides say “the time will come.” But the meetings, the memos, and the movement of political operatives tell a different story. The stakes are high. If he runs and wins because it will be one of Nigeria’s greatest political comebacks. And on the other hand, If he runs and loses, it could fracture the PDP for good.

Similarly, this medium learnt that the PDP influenced by its factional  interim national chairman, Turaki, the BoT led by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara and  Prof. Jerry Gana, members, and some governors like Bala Mohammed, who for obvious reasons ported to other party are still with Jonathan.

Pro-Jonathan PDP bloc assumptions are that PDP cannot win 2027 with a “fresh face.” 

They believe they need a name with national acceptance and accessible and they felt the cap fits Jonathan.

In the same vein, the anti-Jonathan PDP bloc, where the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike reigns Supreme, has already settled for a former lawmaker, Prof Sandy Onor, who has been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest in the 2927 polls.

Analyst opinion, matters arising

Speaking exclusively to our correspondent, a political analyst, ThankGod Irikefe, while dissecting an impending cross party backing for Jonathan, noted that Instead of fighting it all alone, PDP he said might have sold the Jonathan’s consensus candidacy project to aggrieved APC/NNPP/LP, APM, APGA, ADC and other elements, more like the 2015 Buhari coalition, but in reverse.

In his words, the Jonathan’s team is not fighting rival PDP head-on yet, but that they are building a “parallel structure” inside PDP while also keeping options open with ADC and other platforms so that If PDP faction succeeded in blocking him, he can walk with a coalition.

“I also want you to know that their biggest hurdle has been the Section 137(3) of the Constitution and they are merely waiting to see if the courts and INEC will buy it before he steps out.” Irikefe said.

In another exclusive chat, Ajimati Suraju, a political commentator differs, saying Jonathan has been seen with President Tinubu multiple times in the last 18 months at Aso Rock, including the one made a few days ago, ECOWAS events, and peace missions, saying it is all a chess game and that the former President according to him is a pawn about to be drowned politically. 

Ajimati said: “So, you dont know that Jonathan is Tinubu’s “roving ambassador” on West Africa. That gives him visibility and presidential cover.

“The visits are also a signal. Two things can be true: Tinubu respects Jonathan’s statesman brand, and Jonathan is testing how much space the APC would give him if he runs.  

“Some in APC believe a Jonathan candidacy would split the PDP and help Tinubu. Some in PDP believe Tinubu wouldn’t mind Jonathan because he’s “less dangerous” than a northern PDP candidate.

“As we speak now, no evidence yet of a direct “Tinubu endorsement.” But the access is real, and in Nigerian politics, access is equal to leverage, and we can safely as onlookers conclude that indeed something good is cooking ahead 2027 polls.” 

2027 is still 18 months away. But in Abuja and other parts of the country, the game has already started. And at the centre of it is a man who once said “my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.” This time, the question is: Is his ambition worth the fight?