Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has stated that no political figure in Nigeria, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, stands a chance of unseating Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, August 13, Bwala dismissed recent calls for Jonathan to contest in the next election. He described such moves as a calculated ploy by certain individuals to tarnish the former president’s post-office image.
“I see that some unscrupulous elements are trying to hoodwink former President Goodluck Jonathan to come into politics so they can destroy his reputation, which, after he left government, he has been building by becoming an international figure globally,” Bwala said.
Bwala argued that the political terrain in southern Nigeria — Jonathan’s home region — has significantly tilted in favour of Tinubu, with the support of several governors already secured. He also cast doubt on the intentions of northern politicians urging Jonathan to return to the race, reminding Nigerians that many of them opposed him during his tenure.
“The elements that are going to him in the north, asking him to run, were they not the ones that chased him away?
So what hope does he have that this time around, they are calling him because they mean well for him? Then look at the political class that is coming together to cajole him to come into politics. I know President Goodluck Jonathan is smarter than that,” he stated.
Reaffirming his confidence in Tinubu’s political dominance, Bwala said the president would defeat Jonathan or any other challenger if elections were held today.
“But if President Jonathan decides to run, let me tell you, I have seen the political climate in Nigeria today, and I will speak to facts, not conjecture. There is not a single politician that has the capacity to knock off President Bola Tinubu,” he declared.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has yet to publicly announce whether he will join the 2027 presidential race.
