A former presidential aide and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan has already purchased a presidential nomination form ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sani, who served as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, made the disclosure during an appearance on Trust TV, on Tuesday.
He also expressed confidence that the suit challenging Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the presidency again would fail in court, arguing that the issue 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.
Sani’s remarks come amid renewed consultations by Jonathan across political circles, fueling speculations that the former president may be preparing for a major political comeback nearly 12 years after leaving office.
Although Jonathan has yet to publicly declare his ambition or confirm 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, however, maintained that Jonathan’s actions already indicated serious political interest.
“In politics, what is important is action. If you are interested, there are processes you have to follow, one of which is the procurement of nomination forms. He has done that,” he said.
Pressed further during the interview on whether Jonathan had indeed obtained the form, Sani replied: “Yes and in fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly.”
The PDP chieftain 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 because of 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 reelection 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.
