STATEHOUSE DISMISSES JONATHAN’S POTENTIAL 2027 BID, CITING HIS DISMAL ECONOMIC RECORD

The Statehouse has declared that former President Goodluck Jonathan is welcome to contest the 2027 presidential election but cautioned that Nigerians will remember his dismal economic record in office. The statement comes in response to Professor Jerry Gana’s move to draft Jonathan as a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Gana’s assertion as absurd and delusional, affirming that President Bola Tinubu would wholeheartedly welcome Jonathan into the race. Onanuga cautioned the former president to be wary of PDP cheerleaders like Gana, whom he accused of wanting to lure Jonathan into the race to satisfy personal interests only to abandon him later. He also questioned Jonathan’s constitutional eligibility to run for a third term after being sworn in twice.

Onanuga detailed the economic downturn under Jonathan, noting that his administration inherited $66 billion in reserves and the Excess Crude Account but depleted them to below $30 billion and $2 billion respectively by 2015, despite record oil revenues. He accused the Jonathan regime of frivolous spending and damaging the economy, leaving many states unable to pay salaries.

In contrast, the statement highlighted President Tinubu’s economic reforms, which it said have stabilized the economy. It cited a GDP growth of 4.23 percent in the second quarter of 2025 and a reduction in inflation to 20.12 percent in August 2025 as evidence of progress. Foreign reserves now stand at $42.03 billion, and investor confidence has been restored, according to Onanuga.

The statement concluded by reiterating that Jonathan and others are welcome to run but that millions of Nigerians will not allow them to return and run the economy down again. Bayo Onanuga signed the press release, dated September 29, 2025.