According to a report by Punch on Thursday, August 14, 2025, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has dismissed suggestions that former President Goodluck Jonathan could pose a real threat to Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Bwala was asked whether the growing calls for Jonathan to contest in 2027 should be taken seriously. He responded firmly, stating that President Tinubu currently holds a political advantage unmatched by any contender in the country.
Bwala argued that the campaign to persuade Jonathan to return to active politics is not rooted in genuine national interest but rather in personal agendas. He alleged that certain individuals — including some from northern Nigeria — are pushing Jonathan toward a political comeback as a way to undermine his reputation, which, according to Bwala, the former president has worked hard to rebuild on the global stage since leaving office.
“Are the people from the north who are urging him to run not the same ones who forced him out?” Bwala said.
He further noted the irony in the fact that many of those encouraging Jonathan to run again were key players in his electoral defeat a decade ago. “Are these not the same northern politicians who pressured him out of power in 2015?” he questioned pointedly.
Bwala concluded by stressing that, in his view, no political figure — including Jonathan — currently has the momentum, structure, or grassroots support to unseat Tinubu in 2027. He maintained that the president’s influence and political alliances remain formidable ahead of the next election cycle.
