Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday stated that he would engage in broad consultations before deciding whether to contest the 2027 presidential election. This follows mounting appeals from supporters urging him to return to active politics.
Jonathan made this remark while addressing a crowd of youths who staged a solidarity rally at his residence in Maitama, Abuja. The demonstration was organized under the banner of the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan.
The protesters gathered around Taraba Close and adjacent streets, causing significant traffic disruption in the upscale district. They chanted slogans, danced to music, and waved placards calling on the former president to run again. Some placards read: “GEJ: Nigeria is dying, save it!”, “GEJ, Nigerian youths break the medicine wey dem do you”, and “GEJ, if you no run, we quench”.
The youths described Jonathan as a unifying national figure capable of addressing the country's economic and political challenges ahead of the 2027 general election. Addressing the crowd, Jonathan acknowledged their appeals and said he would reflect on the demands before making a decision.
“I’ve heard you loud and clear. I will consult widely before taking any decision,” he said. The former president also used the occasion to urge young Nigerians to become more actively involved in the democratic process, stressing the need for peaceful, transparent, and credible elections in the country.
Jonathan expressed concern over what he described as Nigeria’s high rate of voter apathy, warning that citizens’ disengagement from elections poses a threat to democracy. “Nigeria has one of the highest levels of voter apathy in all the elections I have observed globally,” he said. He urged youths to move beyond passive observation and participate more robustly in civic and political activities.
The rally adds to growing calls from political support groups and youth organizations urging Jonathan to return to frontline politics ahead of the 2027 presidential poll. Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 after succeeding the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua following his death in office. He later lost his re-election bid in 2015 to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.
