The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dan Nwanyanwu, has issued a strong warning to former Nigerian president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, urging him to resist growing pressure to join the 2027 presidential contest.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Nwanyanwu argued that many of the political actors now publicly encouraging Jonathan to return to the ballot were the same individuals who, in his view, abandoned and undermined the former leader during his tenure.
According to him, Jonathan risks being drawn into a political project designed not out of loyalty, but out of desperation by those who once opposed him.
“I have not spoken with President Jonathan yet, though I hope to see him soon,” Nwanyanwu said during the programme.
“But my advice is this: he should wait. I stand with Madam Patience because the people calling on him today were the very ones who betrayed him in the past.
”He is a decent man who meant well for this country, and they now want to use him to clean up the problems they created.”
The former president, who led Nigeria between 2011 and 2015 after the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, has recently been at the centre of renewed political speculation.
While some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and political observers believe Jonathan’s experience gives him an edge heading into 2027, Jonathan himself has repeatedly downplayed suggestions that he intends to run.
The Presidency, at one point, even publicly welcomed Jonathan’s potential entry into the race, further fuelling speculations within political circles.
Despite the rising momentum, the ex-president has maintained that his current focus is on diplomatic engagements and peace-building missions across Africa roles he has actively taken up since leaving office.
Jonathan, who served first as Bayelsa State governor and later as vice president before assuming the presidency in 2010, lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
He has since become a prominent figure in international election observation and mediation efforts, including his most recent involvement in monitoring polls disrupted by a military intervention in a neighbouring West African nation.
Although supporters within and outside the PDP continue to insist that Jonathan represents a unifying force and a viable contender for 2027, the former leader has not publicly committed to joining the race.
With the political climate heating up and endorsements becoming more frequent, both allies and critics are watching closely for any indication of his next move.
For Nwanyanwu, however, the message is clear, Jonathan should avoid being drawn back into the political arena by individuals he believes failed him once and may do so again.
