The Presidency has dismissed as “absurd” calls by former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, to draft ex-President Goodluck Jonathan into the 2027 presidential race, warning that such a move would only reopen wounds of past economic mismanagement.
Reacting to Gana’s comments, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Jonathan is free to run if he wishes, but Nigerians have not forgotten the “dismal record” of his administration.
“Professor Jerry Gana deludes himself by suggesting Jonathan could defeat President Tinubu in 2027. Such claims are nothing more than political comedy,” Onanuga said in the statement issued Monday.
He accused Gana and other PDP stalwarts of trying to exploit Jonathan for their personal and sectional interests, warning that they would abandon him “midstream as they did in 2015.”
The Presidency further insisted that Jonathan left the economy in ruins, pointing to depleted reserves, unpaid salaries, and widespread corruption under his watch.
Onanuga contrasted this with what he described as Tinubu’s “giant economic strides,” including subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and rising investor confidence.
While acknowledging Jonathan’s constitutional right to contest, the Presidency suggested that his eligibility could still be challenged in court since he had been sworn in twice as president.
“Jonathan may choose to listen to Jerry Gana’s sugar-coated calls, but Nigerians will not easily forget his failures.
“The PDP broke the economy; Tinubu is fixing it,” Onanuga added.
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