A former presidential aide and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Sani, has claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan has already purchased a presidential nomination form ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sani, who served as senior special assistant on media and publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, made the claim during an appearance on Trust TV on Tuesday.
The remarks come amid renewed consultations by Jonathan across political circles, fuelling speculation that the former president may be preparing for a political comeback nearly 12 years after leaving office.
Although Jonathan has not publicly declared his ambition or confirmed the platform on which he may contest, Sani suggested that internal crises within the PDP may have contributed to the former president’s cautious approach.
He dismissed talk that the party is trying to use Jonathan’s public appeal for their own gain.
He maintained that the former president’s actions already indicated serious political interest.
“The issue is not about whether we will extract commitment from him. What is most important in politics is action. If your action suggests you are interested, there are certain actions to follow. One of which is the procurement of the nomination form.
“He has procured the nomination form. In fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly. So it is not an issue of whether we are trying to bring or use him for our face-saving grace, whatever. No.
“The fact of the matter is that we believe that Jonathan is the right choice at this moment,” Sani said.
He also expressed confidence that the suit challenging Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the presidency again would fail in court, arguing that the matter had already been settled judicially.
“We are very confident that the matter will be thrown out because you cannot relitigate something that has already been decided upon,” Sani said.
According to him, only the Supreme Court could overturn earlier decisions on Jonathan’s eligibility, insisting that the pending matter before Justice Peter Lifu would likely be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction when it comes up on May 26.
The PDP chieftain also dismissed claims that Jonathan’s supporters were merely exploiting his name for political relevance, insisting that many Nigerians remained emotionally attached to the former president due to memories of his administration.
“Most Nigerians know him and are nostalgic about Jonathan. At the time he left office, many people felt the PDP was not performing, but now Nigerians have seen the difference clearly,” he added.
Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president between 2010 and 2015 before losing re-election to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Since leaving office, he has largely played diplomatic and mediation roles across Africa while avoiding direct involvement in partisan politics.