2027 Election: New Twist as Jonathan, Kwankwaso Reportedly Deepen Negotiations
- Former president Goodluck Jonathan was mentioned as a likely candidate in past election cycles
- Legit.ng reports that there is a sentiment in some quarters for a southerner to retain the presidency in 2027
- The PDP and other political stakeholders are likely watching closely as the 2027 election approaches
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria.
FCT, Abuja - Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, a fresh report has said associates of former President Goodluck Jonathan are interested in wooing Mallam Rabiu Kwankwaso to their side.
According to Vanguard, in a publication on Thursday, September 11, Jonathan's camp is courting Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election, to gain his notable northern political structure.
Source: Facebook
This is as rumours continue to swirl over a possible 2027 presidential run by Jonathan.
The newspaper cited "a competent source close to Jonathan’s camp" as confirming that Senator Kwankwaso’s camp has already met with Jonathan’s team and both sides have allegedly tabled their demands, with a view to reaching an agreement.
The source hinted that Kwankwaso’s camp was demanding, among others, the vice presidential slot, adding that while Jonathan and his camp might not be opposed to the idea of working with the former Kano state governor, the team was yet to take a final position on the matter.
Jonathan's 2027 purported comeback
Amid the speculations, it was gathered that the bigger problem for Jonathan at the moment stems from the uncertainty over which political party he will use to actualise his purported 2027 political ambition.
Although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are open to giving him their platforms to challenge incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the factions battling for control of the souls of the two parties may pose some legal problems along the way.
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Sources close to Jonathan’s camp claimed it was the inability of the former president to decide on which of the major opposition political parties platform to run that was effectively delaying his official declaration for the presidency, many weeks after the information on his alleged planned return to Aso Rock Villa filtered into the public space.
A close source within Jonathan’s camp said:
“Jonathan is both optimistic and confused about his chances in the PDP and the ADC due to the fact that some of his competitors still have some remote control on both parties, thereby making it slightly dicey for him to settle for any of them as the platform to run on in 2027.
“It is a fact that at the moment, the ADC is made up of mostly Goodluck Jonathan’s ‘boys’ who are ready to offer him the platform to run but the point is that Atiku Abubakar is also angling for the same platform, even though he does not seem to have a foothold on the party like Jonathan. But it is getting clearer and clearer by the day that the former president would likely pitch his tent with the PDP, given the fact he has very strong sentiments for the party and most of those who left the party did so to protest minister Nyesom Wike’s takeover of its structures."
Read more on Goodluck Jonathan:
- 2027 election: Pastor who prophesied about Ladoja’s impeachment predicts Jonathan’s fate
- 2027 election: Will Peter Obi, Goodluck Jonathan join PDP presidential race? Senator Moro speaks
Jonathan told not to contest
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna, advised Jonathan not to recontest for presidency in the 2027 election.
Sani said the PDP, Jonathan's known party, was no longer united.
Source: Legit.ng
