Why I Want Jonathan Back in 2027 — PDP Chief

By John Paul
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan remains the North’s preferred choice to fly the party’s presidential flag in the 2027 general elections.

Sani, who served as media aide to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, stated that if the PDP zones its ticket to the South, Jonathan should be considered ahead of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi. He made this known in a chat with newsmen yesterday.

Amid speculations that the PDP is making moves to bring Obi back to its fold and exploring Jonathan’s possible return to the presidential race, Sani said the North would rather support Jonathan, who, by constitutional provision, cannot seek a second term if elected.

“I will prefer that President Jonathan takes the ticket, not because I do not like Obi, but because that will ensure that the South will have completed their four years,” Sani said.

He explained that Jonathan’s tenure, if elected, is limited to four years by law, while Obi’s promise of serving a single term is a political statement that may or may not be kept. “He (Jonathan) has to go after four years. This one (Obi) is making a promise. A promise can be kept and may not be kept either way. But on this one, you are sure that it must be kept. So for the North, I think Goodluck Jonathan is the best choice,” he said.

Sani added that even though Obi’s integrity speaks for him, the North would prefer the certainty of Jonathan’s constitutionally restricted term. He said the region believes any Southern candidate contesting in 2027 should be willing to serve only one term, to complete the South’s eight-year share of the presidency following Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure from 2015 to 2023.

Meanwhile, Peter Obi has maintained that if he contests the 2027 presidential election, he would only serve a single term. The former Anambra State governor, who ran under the Labour Party in 2023, insisted he remains eligible to contest and is committed to stepping down after four years in office. Obi also addressed speculations of a possible alliance with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 polls.

In a related development, PDP leaders recently met with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in Abuja, where they agreed that the party’s 2027 presidential ticket should be zoned to the South. The meeting, which was held on Monday, June 9, 2025, was part of ongoing consultations among party stakeholders on zoning arrangements and candidate selection.

Although the PDP has yet to make an official pronouncement on zoning, conversations surrounding Jonathan’s possible comeback and Obi’s political future continue to dominate discussions within the party, as it prepares to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.