The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, has said that those asking former President Goodluck Jonathan to run in the 2027 presidential election are the same people who betrayed him in the past.
Jonathan, who was Nigeria’s president from 2011 to 2015, first became acting president after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua.
He later contested again but lost to the late Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
As the 2027 election draws closer, some PDP chieftains and political observers have been promoting Jonathan as a strong option because of his experience.
However, the former president has not shown any interest. He has said several times at public events that he has no plans to contest for the presidency.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Nwanyanwu warned Jonathan not to give in to pressure saying that those calling on him to run again were doing so for selfish reasons.
“I support Madam Patience because the same people calling him now are the same people who betrayed him before. He is an honest man who had good policies for Nigeria. They betrayed him then, and now they want to use him to clean their mess,” he said.
When asked if Jonathan should return to the race, Nwanyanwu said, “I have not spoken with President Jonathan. I plan to see him soon, but I think he should wait a bit.”
Nwanyanwu also said political parties had their own problems because many people refused to follow the rules. He noted that even though the Constitution provides guidelines on how power should rotate, people often ignore them.
He said the South deserved another four years in power, and that if he said this openly, people would claim he was supporting President Tinubu.
On insecurity, Nwanyanwu said the Nigerian military has the capacity to defeat bandits and terrorists.
“Let me tell you, I have said it many times: for Nigeria’s military, this is what I call an akamu [pap] case. Banditry and terrorism are simple issues for the Nigerian military to tackle,” he said.
He pointed to Nigeria’s strong record in peacekeeping missions across Africa as proof that the armed forces can handle insecurity at home.
“There is no political way to give the right instructions. I’m not there, but that is my intel. The Nigerian Army has faced tougher battles outside Nigeria,” he added.