A prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Sani, has alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan has already taken a major step towards contesting the 2027 presidential election by obtaining a nomination form.
Sani, who previously served as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, made the claim during an interview on Trust TV on Tuesday, May 19.
His comments come amid increasing political consultations involving Jonathan, which have fuelled speculation about a possible return to active politics years after his exit from office.
Although Jonathan has not formally declared his intention or confirmed the political platform he may use, Sani argued that his actions already point to a clear ambition, despite internal issues within the PDP.
He rejected suggestions that the party was merely projecting Jonathan’s name for strategic relevance, insisting that the former president had taken concrete steps.
“The issue is not about whether we will extract commitment from him. What is most important in politics is action. If your action suggests you are interested, there are certain actions to follow. One of which is the procurement of the nomination form.
“He has procured the nomination form. In fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly. So it is not an issue of whether we are trying to bring or use him for our face-saving grace, whatever. No.
“The fact of the matter is that we believe that Jonathan is the right choice at this moment,” Sani said.
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He also expressed confidence that the ongoing legal challenge to Jonathan’s eligibility would not stand, maintaining that the issue had already been addressed by the courts.
“We are very confident that the matter will be thrown out because you cannot relitigate something that has already been decided upon,” Sani said.
Sani added that only the Supreme Court could overturn earlier decisions on the matter, suggesting that the case before Justice Peter Lifu would likely be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction when it is heard on May 26.
He further dismissed claims that Jonathan’s supporters were exploiting his reputation, noting that many Nigerians still hold positive sentiments about his tenure.
“Most Nigerians know him and are nostalgic about Jonathan. At the time he left office, many people felt the PDP was not performing, but now Nigerians have seen the difference clearly,” he added.
Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president between 2010 and 2015, before losing re-election to Muhammadu Buhari.