Goodluck Jonathan: The Most Spineless Figure in Nigerian Politics, Says Olu Fasan

Olu Fasan notes that Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's former one-term president, has twice allowed speculations to spread that he would seek the presidency again, only to have them fizzle out without a word.

n

Recently, Jonathan issued a rebuttal to an allegation that he was offered N500bn to run against Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, to split the South-South votes, a claim that arose due to his ambiguous approach to his presidential ambitions.

n

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Jonathan told supporters who urged him to run again: “The political process is ongoing, just watch out!”

n

Later, a group of pastoralists and Almajirai reportedly bought Jonathan APC’s N100mn nomination forms, and he held a closed-door meeting with APC’s then national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, in a move that was seen as naive given the party's likely preference for Bola Tinubu.

n

Jonathan's overture to the APC was ultimately abandoned, and he did not pursue the presidency in 2023, a decision that was not surprising given the party's dynamics.

n

Fast forward to 2026, a year before the 2027 presidential poll, speculations were rife again that Jonathan would run for the presidency, with Professor Jerry Gana, a PDP chieftain, saying in October 2025: “I can confirm that Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will contest the presidential election in 2027 as PDP candidate.”

n

Jonathan did nothing to dissociate himself from Gana’s claim, instead holding closed-door meetings with some party leaders, including Senator David Mark, the national chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

n

On May 7 this year, when a group of supporters called on Jonathan at his Abuja Office and urged him to run, he said: “Presidential race is not a computer game, but I heard you, and I will consult widely.”

n

A few weeks later, a faction of the PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki, nominated Jonathan as its presidential candidate by proxy, sending his “Certificate of Return” through Fred Agbedi, a Jonathan ally, a move that is worth nothing if the faction’s legal status is still in doubt.

n

The Supreme Court verdict in April this year created more ambiguity than clarity, nullifying the Ibadan convention that produced the Turaki-led national working committee of the PDP, while upholding the earlier suspension of key members that form the leadership of the faction backed by Nyesom Wike.

n

As a result, neither the Turaki-led faction nor the Wike-backed group is PDP’s recognised leadership, and INEC has sided with the Wike-backed faction, recognising their NWC as PDP’s bona fide leadership on its website.

n

Jonathan wants to be president again, and he would like to emulate his good friend John Mahama of Ghana, who returned to office for a non-consecutive second term after being defeated for re-election.

n

Jonathan is still licking the wounds of his 2015 defeat and would like to redeem his bruised image, but he lacks the courage and personality to drive the process leading to his comeback.

n

Some would say Nigeria is not Ghana or the US, but it’s more about personality than national culture, and Jonathan's approach to politics is weak and cowardly.

n

Jonathan could have said he would stay out of partisan politics and not run for the presidency again, but instead, he’s been telling people: “I’m not ruling out running, but I want to consult widely.”

n

However, do Nigerians, especially those who are invested in him, not deserve to know the outcome of the consultations, or was Jonathan just stringing people along, enjoying the buzz of being discussed as a likely presidential contender?

n

In May last year, Patience Jonathan said: “I’m not going back to the villa, if you call me, I will not go,” and added that she would campaign “vigorously” for President Tinubu’s re-election.

n

Except President Jonathan wanted to defy his wife, which most would consider very unlikely, he should have been equally categorical about not running for the presidency, but his public silence yet behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings fuelled speculations that he was keen to enter the race.

n

Jonathan either lacks the courage to admit the truth and lance the boil on his so-called ambition, or he simply enjoys the attention the speculations gave him, either way, it’s the trivialisation of politics.

n

Interestingly, there are no legal or constitutional barriers to Jonathan seeking the presidency again, with courts ruling in his favour in 2018, 2023, and this year, confirming his eligibility to run for the presidency in 2027.

n

So, the only obstacles to Jonathan running for the presidency next year are political and personal, not legal or constitutional, but in politics, Jonathan is not a fighter, and his approach is weak and cowardly.

n

Thanks mostly to godfatherism, serendipity and happenstance, Jonathan has held six high political offices, but the only time he attempted to be his own man was when he allegedly breached a “gentleman’s agreement” not to run in 2015 and did so, losing the election.

n

Jonathan blamed President Barack Obama for his defeat, saying Obama was determined to remove him from office, and accused the American government of regime change, but why did he not speak out at the time?

n

In a world where Iran is defying America, where Ukraine is fighting Russia to a standstill, Jonathan gave the impression that Nigeria under his leadership would simply cave in to superpower threat and bullying.

n

But as it was with geopolitics, so it is with domestic politics, Jonathan is extremely weak, and his phlegmatism is not a virtue, it’s a weakness bordering on cowardice.

n

Just as well that, after 2027, his name will never again come up as a likely candidate in any presidential election in Nigeria, and it will be good riddance to an utter distraction.