Jonathan Wisely Declined Past Calls To Contest For Presidency After Seeing The Risks Involved – Shehu Sani

Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has advised the erstwhile president, Goodluck Jonathan, against contesting for the 2027 presidency.

He warned that such a move would undermine the respect and honour he currently enjoyed within and outside the country.

Speaking during an interview on the BBC, Sani argued that internal wrangling within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the defection of some of its governors and lawmakers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were strong reasons he should resist the temptation of returning to partisan politics.

“Even in previous election cycles like 2019 and 2023, similar calls were made for Jonathan to return, but he wisely declined after foreseeing the risks it could pose to his image and legacy,” the former lawmaker said.

According to him, Jonathan’s stature as a respected statesman will be better preserved if he stayed away from the current political fray.

“The PDP of today is not the same party that brought him to power. The crisis within it shows clearly that it is no longer the PDP he once knew,” Sani added.

Meanwhile, Mathias Tsado, a former presidential aspirant of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), has asserted that many Nigerian politicians aspire to the position that Goodluck Jonathan has attained.

Tsado made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily.

He said, “You see, the position that President Goodluck, former President Goodluck Jonathan, finds himself today is a position that most politicians are yearning for.”

Tsado also stated that Jonathan demonstrated statesmanship by conceding defeat to the late former President, Muhammadu Buhari, noting it was a sign that he was not desperate for power.

He said, “In fact, he demonstrated he’s not somebody who is desperate to be in government.

“You remember when he said his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian, and someone said recently that President Goodluck Jonathan lost the election in 2015 but gained the people. And at the moment, I think that is what is working for him.”

Tsado further urged Jonathan’s associates to persuade him to run for the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the former Bayelsa governor possesses the qualities needed to reposition the country.

He added, “Yes, he has not declared that he wants to run for election, but for somebody like me, I am praying for a day that will come when President Goodluck Jonathan will declare and say, ‘I want to run’.

“Those who have his contacts, those who have access to him, should speak to him. They should point out the other rumors around in 2023 that he was going to run and all that. There were rumours, but this time around, [they should tell him], ‘Please come around, sir, because Nigerian people today need you’.”