Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said he would consult widely before deciding whether to contest the 2027 presidential election, following mounting calls from supporters urging him to return to active politics.
Jonathan remarked while addressing a crowd of youths who staged a solidarity rally at his residence in Maitama, Abuja, under the aegis of the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan.
The demonstrators gathered around Taraba Close and adjoining streets, causing heavy traffic disruption in the upscale district as they chanted slogans, danced to music, and waved placards calling on the former president to run again.
Some of the 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 taking 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 Coalition for Jonathan 2027, led by Dr. Tom Ohikere, had earlier presented a strongly worded appeal, recalling their previous visit on April 8, 2026.
In the message, the coalition stated:
“Last month, April 8th 2026, The Coalition For Jonathan 2027 paid a friendly visit to your excellency to urge you to run the 2027 Presidential elections to save Nigeria from the impending collapse. Though we did not meet you in person, we believe that our message was unreservedly passed on to you, as it was to the entire Nigerian people through the media.
Since then, we have had little information as to whether you have yielded to our clarion call as you have not yet, within our knowledge, picked a nomination for the presidential contest in any registered political party.
Because of our genuine fear of a possible collapse of Nigeria as peace and unity is now gradually eluding all of us, we decided to march on your office today again hoping you will step out to receive us and make a statement that will gladden our hearts and the entire nation.
We are asking you to hear our cries and contest the 2027 presidential elections sir. This mammoth crowd that came with us here today is a fragment of your supporters nationwide and represents every tribe and tongue and every religious belief in this country. We, young and old, girls and boys, men and women, are all here crying for your voice to say ‘yes’ to our request.
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.
