A senior member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Sani has said he would rather see former President Goodluck Jonathan emerge as the party’s presidential candidate in 2027 than support Peter Obi, noting that Jonathan’s candidacy would help the South complete a presidential term.
Sani, a former media aide to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo made the comment during an interview on Trust TV from 8:42, where he spoke extensively on the party’s internal strategies and the regional zoning controversy ahead of the next general elections.
“I will prefer that President Jonathan takes the ticket not because I do not like Obi but because that will ensure that the South will complete their four years,” Sani said.
According to him, allowing Jonathan who served from 2010 to 2015 to run again and serve only one more term, would give the South a fair shot at completing a constitutionally allowed two-term cycle. This, he believes, would help correct perceived imbalances in power sharing and ensure political stability.
Although Peter Obi remains a popular figure, especially among young Nigerians and the South-East, Sani argued that Jonathan’s short remaining tenure would open up opportunities for other zones sooner, without extending power in the South beyond necessary.
The remarks come as zoning remains a contentious issue within the PDP, with some party members pushing for the next presidential ticket to be returned to the South after a northern presidency in 2023 under the All Progressives Congress.
While Jonathan has yet to indicate any political ambitions for 2027, his name continues to surface in party circles and national discourse, particularly as the PDP considers its best path to regaining power.
