The insistence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on vying for the 2027 presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is said to be delaying moves by a coalition of prominent opposition figures to align forces with the party ahead of the 2027 election.
Investigation by THE WHISTLER, revealed at the weekend, that former President Goodluck Jonathan, is allegedly, one of such heavyweights who may have paused in their plans for possible alignment with the ADC.
Jonathan, who lost the 2015 election to the late President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is said to be highly favoured by some powerful interests within the party for the 2027 ticket should he join the ADC.
Investigation also revealed that not a few powerful opposition figures across party lines and geopolitical zones, are waiting to see how the ADC resolves the zoning of its presidential ticket before they could make any commitments towards the party.
Multiple sources close to the former president, mainly of the PDP stock, avoided being categorical about his next political moves ahead of the coming polls.
One of them told THE WHISTLER, that much as Jonathan may not be desperate for the ticket of any party, he would not want to be seen backing any candidate of northern extraction for the 2027 race, either in the ADC or any other party.
One of the sources, who insisted on anonymity, said Jonathan’s decision in that respect, was not informed by ethnic or religious considerations.
According to him, the former president bears no personal grudge towards Atiku or any other northern politician who may wish to contest on any platform.
“Rather, President Jonathan’s decision is based on the principles of equity, fairness and justice, because he strongly believes that southern Nigeria should be allowed to complete their eight years in the presidency, ending 2031.
“He has taken into account that his support for any northern presidential candidate in 2027 might be seen as a betrayal of the people of southern Nigeria.
“The former president would not want to be seen helping to jeopardise the South’s eight-year slot at the presidency, after the North’s eight uninterrupted years under Buhari,” the source said.
On his position in the permutations ahead of the 2027 race, the source clarified that the Otuoke, Bayelsa born leader, will never insist on being the party’s candidate if he eventually joins the ADC as is being speculated.
He added that Jonathan, with the benefit of his own experience in 2015, will be more than willing to support any candidate the party may choose from any part of southern Nigeria, to balance the regional power equation.
“I can tell you authoritatively that he doesn’t believe he must be the candidate, even though he is eligible to contest again in 2027, regardless of the deliberate misinterpretation of the enabling laws. To him, it’s about equity and justice,” he affirmed.
Pressure Mounts On Atiku To Back Down
THE WHISTLER gathered that Atiku is being pressured by concerned power brokers in the budding coalition to reconsider his decision to vie for the ADC ticket, in the overall interest of the party.
Those pushing for him to back down, are said to be individuals who are genuinely interested in seeing the party make significant impact in the upcoming electoral contests, particularly at the presidential level.
Their argument, it was further learnt, is hinged on considerations for his advanced age and the phenomenal geriatric strain often associated with it. Born November 25, 1946, Atiku will be past 80 before the 2027 election.
Observers posit that anyone that age is way down the hill for the rigours that come with the office of the president.
Also, stakeholders are said to hold the strong view that the prospect of Atiku or any other northerner winning the 2027 election might jeopardise the unwritten code of North-South power rotation, which they insist, has helped to engender relative stability in the polity.
The former vice president has never hidden his 2027 presidential ambition, a pursuit that many, within and outside the ADC, say has become an obsession.
The politician and his aides are always swift in debunking media reports suggesting his possible shift in stance regarding the 2027 contest.
So far, other contenders for the ADC ticket, include the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi and a former Transportation Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi. Party sources say the list could grow longer as events unfold in the weeks and months ahead.
Jonathan’s interest in the race has remained in the realm of speculation as the former president himself has not confirmed or debunked the growing speculation.
However, political analysts and event watchers alike, say Jonathan’s entry into the race could alter the dynamics in the 2027 presidential contest, with a positive spill over effect on other state and federal elections.
Unlike other aspirants in the race, he is constitutionally limited to a single term that will terminate in 2031, the same terminal date for the Tinubu presidency should the APC win again in 2027.
And while the former president might be unwilling to back a northern candidate, he is said not to be averse to supporting any other candidate that may emerge from the South, be it Obi, Amaechi or any other person the party might settle for.
Losing Faith In PDP
Not a few Nigerians had expected that Jonathan would choose his original party, the PDP, if at all he wants to contest. However, the former Nigerian leader and his associates are said to have lost faith in the erstwhile ruling party.
According to some of them, the PDP is no longer a viable platform as far as the 2027 elections are concerned, stressing that the party’s structures have been damaged beyond repairs.
“The PDP is like a vehicle with all its four tyres deflated. So it can’t take anyone to their political destination in 2027. Anyone in such a vehicle is on a journey to nowhere,” a top PDP chieftain had told THE WHISTLER a few days ago.
Rejects Calls To Support Tinubu
Also, those close to Jonathan have dismissed calls from various groups and individuals, including some of his former associates and kinsmen in the South-South, to support Tinubu’s re-election.
One of them, who didn’t want to be identified, said it would amount to self indictment if Jonathan decides to support Tinubu and his APC.
The source, who is a staunch card carrying member of the PDP, spoke at length on why the former president will not support Tinubu or any other candidate of the ruling party.
He said, “Place such support side by side the harassment Jonathan suffered at the hands of the APC when he lost power in 2015. The man was endlessly bullied by some high ranking members of the Buhari administration and the ruling party.
“They were the same people who labeled him as clueless, who branded his administration as the most corrupt and profligate in the history of Nigeria.
“We should not be in a hurry to forget the jeering cliche in the APC circles, referring to the PDP years as 16 years of the locusts, coupled with the endless vilification of Jonathan and those that served under him, whom they called a gang of looters.
“Nigerians will recall that the APC, under Buhari, spent their first four years in office heaping all the blames for the nation’s woes on Jonathan’s head and claiming they were busy clearing the economic mess created by the PDP.
“So any support for the APC, will be a confirmation of all the things they accused Jonathan and the PDP of doing. Nobody is a saint, but while some of their claims are exaggerated, many others are farfetched.”
The Turaki, Mohammed Connection
Recent events in the political space appear to suggest that Jonathan’s camp might still be consulting with trusted allies and associates, mainly in the PDP.
The former president recently had a private meeting with a faction of the PDP, chaired by a former Special Duties Minister, Tanimu Turaki, SAN.
Turaki had told journalists shortly after the parley, that discussions with Jonathan centered around efforts to mend the fractured PDP.
However, a party source, who relied on information provided by a third party, said the meeting with the former president was indeed part of ongoing consultations.
Incidentally, Turaki and the incumbent Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, were two of the former president’s closest political associates while in office.
While Turaki held the Special Duties portfolio, Mohammed served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a position he held for five years.
It was the Bauchi governor who facilitated Turaki’s emergence as PDP National Chairman in the now disputed national convention, which was convened on November 15-16, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
It’s being widely speculated that Turaki and Governor Mohammed may as well be privy to Jonathan’s current political moves, as insiders say consultations are still are ongoing.