Former senator Shehu Sani has cautioned ex-President Goodluck Jonathan against making a political comeback in the 2027 elections.
Speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, Sani explained that the political terrain Jonathan once knew has changed dramatically, particularly within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform that brought him to power in 2011.
“Every election season, Jonathan’s name pops up,” Sani noted. “But the PDP of today is not the PDP he once led. Some factions are openly supporting the current president, others have moved into coalitions. It’s no longer the same party. My advice is that he shouldn’t waste his time.”
Jonathan first stepped into the presidency in 2010 after the passing of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, whom he had served as vice president. He won the 2011 election under the PDP banner and governed until 2015, when he lost to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although constitutionally entitled to one more term, Jonathan has not expressed interest in returning to the race. Still, speculation about his possible comeback has been gaining traction, especially with conversations around zoning, a Southern presidency, and the rise of new opposition alignments led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, also questioned the strength of this new coalition. In his view, the group lacks ideological contrast with the current administration.
“We’re in a democracy, so it’s within their right to build an opposition,” he said. “But if their only mission is to unseat Tinubu without presenting a real alternative, then they don’t have an agenda. Their policies are not fundamentally different—they support the same economic measures like subsidy removal and currency devaluation. So what makes them truly different?”
For Sani, the heart of the matter isn’t just about who contests in 2027, but whether Nigerians will be offered a genuine alternative to the policies already in play.
