Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has declared former President Goodluck Jonathan as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) strongest candidate for the 2027 presidential election. Speaking on Channels Television’s *Politics Today*, Lamido urged the party to make deliberate efforts to bring Jonathan back, emphasizing that no current PDP member from the South matches Jonathan’s experience and leadership qualities.
“I think for PDP now they should try to woo him. He is their best bet. Anybody put forth by the PDP, Nigerians will support him,” Lamido stated. He described Jonathan as a leader who has governed the country before, understands governance deeply, and works well with others. “He is most welcome, competent and very qualified. To me, I welcome him into the PDP. I think so far in the PDP, with all respect to all members, I do not see a better alternative than Jonathan if he comes to the PDP,” Lamido added.
The former governor further highlighted Jonathan’s unique attributes, saying, “If we are giving the presidency to the South, it will be the PDP. Who is there in PDP now that can challenge Jonathan in terms of being in office, being full headed, being somebody who is willing to listen and somebody who is also a key player who believes in partnership?”
Beyond endorsing Jonathan, Lamido called for decisive action against PDP members who allegedly worked against the party during the 2023 general elections. He specifically named Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and others, insisting they should be expelled from the party. “All those erring members, the Wikes, the Ortoms, the Ikpeazus and others who openly campaigned against the PDP in the 2023 elections and who say that they are going to work for the APC in 2027 should be sacked from the party,” Lamido declared.
Expressing frustration over what he described as a “long standing culture of impunity within the party,” Lamido urged PDP leadership to enforce disciplinary measures to restore order and unity. “From way back after the primaries of 2022 leading to the elections of 2023, there are people who because of their interest and ambition felt aggrieved about what transpired in the party’s convention. And they turned against the party and fought the party. We have been having this kind of problem, the impunity of people castrating the party and denouncing it,” he said.
Lamido’s comments come amid renewed efforts within the PDP to court Jonathan ahead of the 2027 elections. Senior party figures have confirmed ongoing consultations aimed at persuading the former president to return as the party’s flag bearer, citing his national experience, electoral appeal, and statesmanship as key factors that could help the PDP reclaim the presidency.
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, remains one of the country’s most recognizable political figures. Although he has not officially declared his intention to run, his wife, Patience Jonathan, recently expressed support for the current Tinubu administration, stating she would not contest against the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
