By Lateef Ibrahim
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has attributed former President Goodluck Jonathan’s delay in publicly accepting the party’s presidential nomination form for the 2027 election to ongoing legal uncertainties surrounding his eligibility.
Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, monitored in Abuja, Sani dismissed suggestions that Jonathan was reluctant to join the presidential race, insisting that the former Nigerian leader remains interested in contesting for the country’s highest office.
According to him, Jonathan is carefully monitoring a legal challenge linked to his eligibility before making a formal declaration on his political future.
Sani explained that although a court had dismissed the case questioning Jonathan’s qualification to run, the matter remains unresolved because the judgment has been appealed.
“There is an eligibility case against Jonathan. Even though the court has dismissed the case, the people are adamant and they have gone ahead to appeal the judgment,” he said.
The PDP stalwart argued that the former president is taking a cautious approach to avoid making a premature announcement while the legal process is still ongoing.
“Jonathan wants to become president. There are encumbrances that need to be cleared before he will express himself,” Sani stated.
He maintained that the former president’s silence should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in the race.
“So I won’t think there is any reluctance on his part. He is very determined to become president of Nigeria, but he is being very careful about the court case,” he added.
Sani further revealed that the PDP has already positioned Jonathan as its preferred candidate for the 2027 presidential election, despite the former president not publicly confirming his acceptance of the nomination.
“As far as we are concerned, Jonathan is our candidate. We have put out his name, though he has not come out publicly to either accept or reject. I think he’s been very strategic. He’s taking his time,” he said.
