Tinubu’s Camp Blasts PDP Over Rumoured Comeback Bid of Ex-President
The Presidency has launched a blistering attack on former President Goodluck Jonathan following reports that he is being drafted into the 2027 presidential race by opposition figures.
The development comes after elder statesman and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Prof. Jerry Gana, confirmed that Jonathan was set to contest on the platform of the PDP.
But in a fiery response on Monday, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the move as an act of desperation, insisting that Jonathan’s eligibility would ultimately be settled in court.
> “The jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as President, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest again. Until then, any talk of his return is nothing but noise,” Onanuga declared.
The Presidency did not hold back in revisiting Jonathan’s turbulent years in power, accusing him of mismanaging Nigeria’s resources and plunging the country into economic turmoil.
According to the statement, Jonathan inherited $66 billion in combined reserves and Excess Crude Account in 2010, but by 2015, the reserves had shrunk to below $30 billion, while the Excess Crude Account was depleted to $2 billion — despite record oil sales averaging $100 per barrel between 2010 and 2013.
“By the end of Jonathan’s administration, the federal government was unable to pay civil servants, and at least 28 states were owing salaries. His regime frittered away the nation’s wealth, encouraging forex racketeering and allowing security funds to be shared among cronies,” the Presidency alleged.
Tinubu’s ‘Rescue Mission’ Highlighted
In contrast, the statement praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing them as bold and transformative.
“Within 28 months, Tinubu has removed the ruinous fuel subsidy, unified the exchange rate, and restored investor confidence. GDP grew by 4.23% in Q2 2025, inflation dropped to 20.12% — the lowest in three years — and reserves now stand at $42.03 billion. The Naira has stabilised, and massive road projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway are underway,” Onanuga noted.
The Presidency maintained that Nigerians, who “voted Jonathan out for incompetence in 2015,” would not be deceived again by the PDP or its “sugar-coated cheerleaders.”
While acknowledging Jonathan’s constitutional right to contest, the Presidency warned that he risked being used and dumped by PDP powerbrokers.
“Politicians like Jerry Gana are merely exploiting him for their selfish, ethnic, and religious interests. They abandoned him in 2015, and they will abandon him again. Jonathan must be wary,” the statement cautioned.
The ruling camp insists that President Tinubu has “turned the corner” for Nigeria and is delivering tangible results, while the opposition remains “fixated on recycling old failures.”
“Jonathan and his co-travellers broke the economy before; Nigerians will not allow them to do so again,” the statement concluded.
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