Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to refrain from contesting in the 2027 presidential elections, citing significant changes in the political landscape that would work against him.
Sani expressed his concerns on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, emphasizing that the political party Jonathan once led, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is now in disarray and no longer the same party that helped him secure the presidency in 2011.
Sani highlighted the divisions within the PDP, noting that several of its members in the South-West region have publicly backed the current President, Bola Tinubu, and some have even joined forces with the emerging opposition coalition. According to Sani, Jonathan’s decision to contest would be a waste of time, as the political environment has shifted considerably.
“The PDP in the South-West is endorsing the president. Some members of the party are in the coalition. So, it is not the same PDP he used to know,” Sani stated.
The conversation also delved into the rising opposition coalition, which has been gaining traction as an alternative to the current administration. Sani, however, dismissed the coalition’s viability, arguing that its members do not offer any substantial ideological difference from Tinubu’s government.
He pointed out that while it is within the rights of opposition parties to contest for power, the coalition’s sole focus appears to be removing Tinubu from office, without offering any concrete alternative or new vision for governance.
“The people that constitute the coalition today are not ideologically and philosophically different from the programmes which the Tinubu administration is prosecuting. So, it’s not like we have a Marxist and a Capitalist or a Neo-Liberal and a Conservative,” Sani remarked. He criticized the coalition for not presenting a clear agenda for the country, making it more of a reactionary force than a proactive one.
Sani’s comments underscore the shifting dynamics within Nigerian politics, with emerging political alliances, changes in party loyalties, and evolving strategies defining the path to the 2027 elections.
His advice to Jonathan reflects a broader recognition that the political environment is no longer the same, and that past formulas may not be effective in the current climate.
