The African Democratic Congress has said Jonathan’s joining the presidential race will alter the country’s political calculations and trigger fresh strategic thinking across party lines.
Chairman of the PDP INWC screening committee and former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, represented by former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, made the disclosure while answering questions from journalists after the screening exercise in Abuja on Tuesday.
Jonathan, who served as president between 2010 and 2015, was reportedly granted a waiver on Tuesday by a PDP screening panel headed by Aliyu, paving the way for a possible return to the presidential race.
Though the development is yet to receive formal confirmation from the national leadership of the PDP, it has already generated intense debate within political circles, with analysts suggesting that Jonathan’s re-emergence could reshape alignments ahead of the next general election.
Earlier, a former presidential aide and chieftain of the PDP, Umar Sani, alleged that Jonathan had already obtained a presidential nomination form ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sani, who served as senior special assistant on media and publicity to former Vice President Sambo, made the assertion during an appearance on Trust TV on Tuesday.
His comments come amid renewed political consultations involving Jonathan across various political blocs, sparking fresh speculation that the former president may be considering a return to active politics nearly 12 years after leaving office.
Although Jonathan has yet to officially declare his ambition or reveal the platform under which he may contest, Sani hinted that the lingering internal crisis within the PDP may be responsible for the former president’s cautious posture.
He also rejected claims that the party was merely attempting to exploit Jonathan’s popularity for political advantage.
Sani stated, “The issue is not about whether we will extract commitment from him. What is most important in politics is action.
“If your action suggests you are interested, there are certain actions to follow. One of which is the procurement of the nomination form.
“He has procured the nomination form. In fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly. So it is not an issue of whether we are trying to bring or use him for our face-saving grace, whatever. No.
“The fact of the matter is that we believe that Jonathan is the right choice at this moment. We are very confident that the matter will be thrown out because you cannot relitigate something that has already been decided upon,” Sani said.
According to him, only the Supreme Court could overturn earlier decisions on Jonathan’s eligibility, insisting that the pending matter before Justice Peter Lifu would likely be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction when it comes up on May 26.
The PDP chieftain also dismissed claims that Jonathan’s supporters were merely exploiting his name for political relevance, insisting that many Nigerians remained emotionally attached to the former president due to memories of his administration.
“Most Nigerians know him and are nostalgic about Jonathan. At the time he left office, many people felt the PDP was not performing, but now Nigerians have seen the difference clearly,” he added.
The chairman of the screening committee explained that the party had granted a screening waiver to a presidential aspirant due to his extensive political background, effectively clearing Jonathan as the PDP’s candidate.
He also noted that a similar waiver was given to former Oyo State Deputy Governor Taofeek Arapaja, adding that while other aspirants were still being screened, Jonathan remained the only confirmed presidential aspirant of the party.
He stated, “The party had already given a presidential aspirant a waiver from screening. As I said in the beginning, he was deputy governor, became governor, became vice president, and became president, so we did not see anything that required screening.
“Therefore, the party granted him a waiver. In other words, he has been declared and cleared as the PDP candidate for the presidential election, and that is former President Goodluck Jonathan.
