As the race towards the 2027 presidential election heats up, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is deepening covert moves to bring back former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate, in a desperate attempt to stop President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from securing a second term. Sources within the PDP say the party is also targeting Mr Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 flag bearer, and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as part of a wider opposition unity plot.
Daily Trust sources confirmed that discussions have advanced significantly with Dr Jonathan, with senior PDP officials — including some governors — already meeting him both locally and abroad. The interest in Jonathan is fuelled by his one-term constitutional limitation, a factor being marketed as a strategic assurance for a rotational presidency. Party figures see him as a stabilising Southern figure who can draw bipartisan appeal and temporarily settle the North-South power balance before a return to the North in 2031.
While the PDP has not officially zoned its presidential ticket, there is internal consensus building around a Southern candidate. The overture to Jonathan follows the defection of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to the ADC-led coalition, leaving a vacuum the PDP is keen to fill with a candidate of national clout. PDP insiders believe Jonathan fits that role, especially as he remains a respected global statesman and still commands residual goodwill among Nigerians.
Speaking to BBC Hausa, the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, confirmed the party’s interest in Jonathan. He said Nigerians are beginning to re-evaluate the former president’s legacy, now seeing his peaceful concession in 2015 as a mark of rare leadership. “Even his harshest critics are now apologising. They want him back,” Abdullahi said, disclosing that the former president is “listening” but has laid down conditions, including whether he would have to contest primaries or receive a consensus endorsement.
While no official decision has been made, the push has not gone unnoticed. An aide to General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) confirmed that Jonathan recently visited the former military ruler in Minna. During the closed-door meeting, Babangida reportedly asked Jonathan if he planned to run again, to which the former president replied that he was still undecided.
Meanwhile, internal discussions are ongoing about pairing Jonathan with Senator Kwankwaso, forming a North-South unity ticket. Party insiders believe that pairing Jonathan, who is constitutionally limited to one term, with Kwankwaso could strategically satisfy both regional interests and act as a tactical checkmate to Tinubu. The APC is also said to be pursuing Kwankwaso, especially after the ousting of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as APC national chairman — a political concession seen as a deliberate carrot to lure the NNPP leader.
Obi’s name has also returned to the PDP rumour mill. The former Anambra governor, who defected from the PDP to contest under the Labour Party in 2023, is reportedly being lobbied to return and possibly lead the PDP ticket. Yet resistance remains strong, especially from Northern PDP stakeholders who argue that Obi’s one-term promise lacks legal binding power — unlike Jonathan, whose limitation is constitutionally enforced.
Despite this, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has hinted at stepping aside for Jonathan and openly acknowledged Obi as the current leader of the opposition. In 2024, he declared: “As long as Jonathan is around, I will not present myself for leadership… I will support him with my blood.” In March 2025, he referred to Obi as the de facto opposition leader and expressed readiness to collaborate, stating that governance was above party lines.
Still, Dame Patience Jonathan’s public endorsement of Tinubu and rejection of any return to Aso Rock adds complexity to the former president’s decision-making. At a recent event in Abuja, the former First Lady praised Senator Remi Tinubu and announced her support for the First Family, saying, “I’ve told her I will campaign with her. I’m not running. I won’t return to the Villa.” Her statement is seen as a reflection of the household’s posture and may temper Jonathan’s interest in contesting.
However, those close to Jonathan say the game is far from over. A former aide said the former president is open to the offer but demands solid assurances. “He will not allow himself to be dragged in only to be abandoned. He wants ironclad commitments from PDP stakeholders,” the aide said, noting that the 2023 APC-backed attempt to draft him failed due to its lack of credibility, unlike the current push, which is internally driven.
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Political analysts are divided on the feasibility of a Jonathan comeback. Dr Sam Amadi, director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, believes the attempt is unlikely to succeed, though he concedes the North may find Jonathan a favourable one-term candidate. “He was a better president to the North than Buhari,” Amadi said, noting that a Jonathan ticket could fracture the ADC-Labour coalition and give Tinubu a real contest.
Similarly, Professor Abubakar Umar Kari, a political scientist, told BBC Hausa that Jonathan’s candidacy would instantly revive the PDP and reshape the race. “His entry will hurt both APC and ADC. He remains one of the most formidable options the South can present,” Kari said, although he acknowledged that Obi’s youth support base could dilute any potential Jonathan momentum.
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