𝗣𝗗𝗣 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅-𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁'𝘀 2027 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗦𝗮𝘆 " 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 "

𝗕𝗬 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗔 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘,

𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮.

Fresh controversy has continued to trail the reported use of former President Goodluck Jonathan's name in the ongoing political activities of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as political stakeholders and youth leaders from the Niger Delta have renewed calls on the former Nigerian leader to publicly clarify his position on the 2027 presidential election.

The renewed debate follows months of conflicting reports surrounding Jonathan's alleged presidential ambition, despite repeated indications from his camp that the former President has neither formally declared his intention to contest the presidency nor authorised any individual or political group to campaign or obtain nomination forms on his behalf.

Political observers across Bayelsa State and other parts of the Niger Delta argue that the continued association of Jonathan's name with the internal political activities of the PDP without an official declaration has created uncertainty among party faithful and the wider public.

According to several stakeholders who spoke separately, Jonathan remains one of Nigeria's most respected political figures, whose name should not be deployed for political calculations without his express consent.

One stakeholder said:

"If former President Goodluck Jonathan intends to contest the presidency, Nigerians deserve to hear it directly from him. If he has no such ambition, then those using his name should stop creating unnecessary political uncertainty."

A youth leader from the region added:

"Goodluck Jonathan is not an ordinary politician. Whenever he decides to seek any political office, the whole country will know. His silence has continued to fuel speculation."

The controversy intensified after the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP announced Jonathan as its preferred presidential candidate and later insisted that he remained the authentic presidential candidate of the faction despite the absence of any public acceptance from the former President.

Speaking on behalf of the faction, its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, maintained that the party had lawfully submitted Jonathan's nomination despite the leadership dispute within the PDP.

According to Ememobong:

"Notwithstanding INEC's refusal to provide us with the necessary access codes, we have successfully submitted, manually and in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic Peoples Democratic Party."

He further stated:

"The submission contains the names of our presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, alongside all governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates."

The Turaki-led faction alleged that it was denied access to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) electronic nomination portal because the Commission recognised the rival PDP leadership. The faction, however, insisted that it manually submitted its candidates' nominations in accordance with the Electoral Act and claimed that INEC acknowledged receipt of the documents.

INEC has consistently maintained that it recognises only the PDP leadership backed by the relevant court decisions. The Commission's position was reinforced after a Federal High Court dismissed a suit seeking to compel INEC to recognise the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee, a judgment regarded as a setback to the faction's leadership claims.

Earlier, the rival PDP leadership aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, distanced itself from the Turaki faction's actions and urged Jonathan to publicly reject the endorsement.

In a statement, the faction said:

"We respectfully call on former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from this charade in order to protect the integrity of the democratic process and preserve the credibility he earned while serving the nation."

Despite the competing claims by the rival PDP factions, former President Jonathan has not publicly declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Political analysts believe much of the uncertainty could be resolved if the former President clearly states whether he intends to seek another term in office or permanently distances himself from the political activities being conducted in his name.

Many observers also recalled Jonathan's earlier remarks that "Presidency is not a computer game," indicating that any decision regarding another presidential bid would only come after extensive consultations.

Stakeholders across the Niger Delta insist that the time has come for the former President to provide an unambiguous public position, arguing that such clarification would put an end to months of speculation, guide his supporters, and prevent further political exploitation of his name.

As political alignments ahead of the 2027 general election continue to evolve, Jonathan's next public statement is expected to play a significant role in shaping the national political conversation.