Frontline lawyer and public affairs analyst, Dele Farotimi, has faulted moves by some political actors to project former President Goodluck Jonathan as a potential challenger in the 2027 general elections.
Farotimi, in an interview with Channels Television, described attempts to revive Jonathan’s political profile as an effort to “rebrand failure,” insisting that Nigerians had valid reasons for voting him out of office in 2015.
He argued that those clamouring for Jonathan’s return were ignoring history and setting the country up for disappointment.
“This was the same Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who was vilified and labelled. The press went into overdrive, the pulpits and mosques all joined in saying his removal would solve Nigeria’s problems. But here we are – ten years later – going back into the past to dig him up. That was the same way we dug up the one that just expired,” Farotimi said, in apparent reference to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Rumours have been circulating that Jonathan, who governed from 2010 to 2015, may join the 2027 presidential race, with some opposition elements regarding him as a possible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Farotimi, however, maintained that Nigeria’s problems run deeper than a change of leadership figure. He said the real challenge lies in dismantling entrenched structures that perpetuate failure.
“Even if you remove President Tinubu today and the evil system remains in place, nothing will change. We’re not looking for saviours; it’s about building systems, building a country. How do you rebrand the failure of 2015 into a saint and a saviour in 2025?” he queried.
The lawyer noted that Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were overwhelmingly rejected in 2015, when the APC and then-candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated him at the polls. He questioned what new vision Jonathan could offer Nigerians in 2027 that he did not provide before his ouster.
“There were valid reasons ten years ago to have him removed, but people did not ask themselves: ‘What does it mean to change this?’ They focused on change and were sold a thought. Now, we’re back here again. I would be more interested in knowing exactly what Jonathan might bring this time around that is different from what he did before people called for his removal,” Farotimi stated.
Jonathan, a former governor of Bayelsa State, has not publicly confirmed any intention to contest in 2027.
