2027 Presidency: Jonathan Won’t Get Automatic PDP Ticket — GHSM

The Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) has insisted that former President Goodluck Jonathan will not be handed a “free pass” to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.

Responding to remarks by Prof. Jerry Gana hinting at Jonathan’s possible return on the PDP platform, GHSM National Coordinator, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, emphasized that the party’s flagbearer can only emerge through a fair and transparent primary process in line with the Electoral Act 2022.

“With due respect, Prof. Jerry Gana is entitled to his enthusiasm about the return of former President Jonathan. However, only PDP delegates to the national convention can pick the party’s flagbearer, and ultimately, God Almighty will determine the outcome, not a few party stalwarts,” Hamzat said in a statement.

Hamzat argued that Nigerians are looking for progress, not a return to the past, warning that Jonathan symbolizes an “old order” many citizens are eager to leave behind.

“The Jonathan era cannot be painted as a perfect time. It was a period when the diversity of our nation began to be deeply mismanaged, rekindling ethnic tensions and religious bigotry — a legacy that has unfortunately worsened under subsequent governments,” he stated.

He also criticized Jonathan’s foreign policy decisions, particularly Nigeria’s support for NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya against the African Union’s stance, describing it as a “strategic blunder” that destabilized the Sahel and fueled insecurity across Nigeria and the wider West African region.

On domestic governance, Hamzat maintained that Jonathan still faces unresolved questions about corruption allegations, especially the controversial Dasukigate arms procurement scandal.

Nonetheless, he stressed that the PDP remains a democratic platform where no aspirant, including former presidents, should expect automatic endorsement.

“If President Jonathan desires a return to Aso Rock, he must be ready to square up with nationally unifying aspirants such as Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim in an open and transparent primary,” Hamzat declared.

He concluded that Nigerians deserve new leadership and a fresh vision, insisting that “the only way forward is forward, not backward.”