A former presidential aspirant, Mathias Tsado, has called on associates of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to persuade him to contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the former leader has the qualities required to reposition Nigeria.
Tsado, who previously contested under the Action Democratic Party (ADP), made the appeal on Tuesday during an appearance on Sunrise Daily.
“Yes, he has not declared that he wants to run for election, but for somebody like me, I am praying for a day that will come when President Goodluck Jonathan will declare and say, ‘I want to run,’” Tsado said.
“Those who have his contacts, those who have access to him, should speak to him. They should point out the other rumors around in 2023 that he was going to run and all that. There were rumors, but this time around, [they should tell him], ‘Please come around, sir, because Nigerian people today need you.’”
Jonathan, who became president in May 2010 following the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was elected in 2011 but lost his re-election bid in 2015 to Muhammadu Buhari — the first time an incumbent president was defeated since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
Tsado argued that Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat in 2015 demonstrated statesmanship and showed he was not desperate for power.
“In fact, he demonstrated he’s not somebody who is desperate to be in government. You remember when he said his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. Someone said recently that President Goodluck Jonathan lost the election in 2015 but gained the people. And at the moment, I think that is what is working for him,” Tsado noted.
He added that Jonathan now holds a unique political standing in Nigeria.
“You see, the position that former President Goodluck Jonathan finds himself today is a position that most politicians are yearning for,” he said.
