Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed reports suggesting he has stepped aside from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The rebuttal follows claims in a news report that the Bayelsa-born politician had opted not to run in order not to disrupt Southern unity.
Although Jonathan has not officially declared his candidacy in the 2027 presidential election, strong indications suggest he has begun consultations across the country to actualise a second-term ambition.
On Friday afternoon, the ex-president’s cousin, Azibaola Robert, dismissed the report in a post on his verified Facebook page, stressing that Jonathan never said he would not contest in 2027.
Azibaola was reacting to a Newsweek Nigeria publication titled “Jonathan Rejects Pressure to Contest in 2027, Says He Won’t Be Used Against Southern Unity.” He said the story was fake and urging Nigerians to disregard it.
He also clarified that the purported “aide of Jonathan” cited as a source in the story does not exist.
According to Azibaola, while Jonathan has yet to announced his decision to run, he has equally not ruled himself out of the race.
“The former president has made it clear that he would not yield to calls not to run, since those making such admonitions had selfish motives,” Azibaola said.
However, Azibaola did not specify when or how Jonathan might formally declare his ambition.
