Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has cautioned people asking former President Goodluck Jonathan to run in the 2027 presidential election.
Wike cautioned that such efforts could disrupt the country.
He made this statement on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday night.
He criticized the campaign as hypocritical, given how many of the same voices turned against Jonathan during his unsuccessful 2015 re-election bid.
“Anybody saying Jonathan should return because he will only do one term is only looking for a crisis.
“These are the same people who frustrated him in 2015. Why now? Jonathan has made a name for himself globally, and they just want to drag him into unnecessary conflict,” he said.
The minister argued that fronting Jonathan or any southern candidate, under the scheme of a “one-term presidency,” was a ploy lacking sincerity and a threat to Nigeria’s political balance.
Speaking on the state of the nation, Wike admitted that Nigerians were facing economic hardship but maintained that President Bola Tinubu had taken “tough but necessary decisions” to reposition the economy.
“Yes, there is hardship, I agree. But no one can deny that this government is making efforts to improve things. I see the projects in Abuja daily; they are evidence that something is happening,” he added.
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He also ridiculed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s recent predictions of a looming revolution against hunger and poverty, calling him hypocritical.
“Atiku was vice president for eight years. Why didn’t he lay the foundation to prevent hunger then? Now he keeps talking about hunger and revolution.
“For me, I don’t even bother reading what he says, because there is no truth in it,” Wike stated.
Wike emphasized that, while Nigerians must be patient with the Tinubu administration, opposition figures should not use present economic issues for political benefit.
There has been a campaign for Jonathan to run for president in 2027.
In August, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed stated that the People’s Democratic Party was contemplating Jonathan and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as potential presidential contenders for 2027.
Mohammed hailed Jonathan as “one of the most celebrated politicians in Nigeria today” and said the party would welcome him back if he decided to return and contest.
“Certainly, former President Jonathan is one of the candidates we are considering if he joins us and opens his mind to run,” Mohammed said.
