Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said he would consult widely before deciding whether to contest the 2027 presidential election, as supporters mounted fresh pressure on him to return to active politics.
Jonathan spoke while addressing a crowd of youths who staged a solidarity rally at his Maitama, Abuja residence under the aegis of the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan. The demonstrators gathered around Taraba Close and adjoining streets, causing heavy traffic disruption in the upscale district as they chanted slogans, danced, and waved placards urging the former president to run again.
Some placards read: “GEJ: Nigeria is dying, save it!”, “GEJ, Nigerian youths break the medicine wey dem do you”, and “GEJ, if you no run, we quench.”The youths described Jonathan as a unifying national figure capable of addressing the country’s deepening economic and political challenges ahead of the 2027 general election.
Acknowledging their appeals, Jonathan said he would reflect carefully before reaching any decision.”I’ve heard you loud and clear. I will consult widely before taking any decision,” he told the crowd.
The former president also used the occasion to call on young Nigerians to engage more actively in the democratic process, stressing the need for peaceful, transparent, and credible elections.
He expressed concern over what he described as dangerously high levels of voter apathy, warning that citizens’ disengagement from elections poses a grave threat to democracy.
“Nigeria has one of the highest levels of voter apathy in all the elections I have observed globally,” he said, urging youths to move beyond passive observation into active civic participation.
The Coalition for Jonathan 2027, led by Dr. Tom Ohikere, had earlier presented a formal appeal recalling a previous visit on April 8, 2026, and noting that Jonathan had yet to pick a nomination form in any registered political party.
