The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has refuted claims that it is courting former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking with BBC Hausa, Ibrahim Abdullahi, deputy spokesperson of the party, said no ticket has been issued to the former president.
Abdullahi said the party has many eligible people who can contest for the presidency on its platform, adding that a recent interview he granted was interpreted to mean that Jonathan he asked to run on the PDP platform.
“The report that PDP has issued its presidential ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan or invited him to contest the 2027 presidential election is not true,” he said.
“What happened is this, I had an interview with a journalist where we discussed some issues.
“But in the course of the interview, he mentioned President Jonathan, asking about our opinion of him, because there are reports that he is being urged to run for the presidency.
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“I responded by saying that he (Jonathan) is eligible to contest the election, because he is a Nigerian and has the right to do that by the provision of the law, and he still has one more term left.
“So, there is nothing wrong about him contesting the presidential election because he is eligible in the face of the law,” he added.
Abdullahi reiterated that the party has done enough for Jonathan and would not actively woo him. He noted that the PDP boasts 12 governors and numerous other competent politicians who could contest the presidential election.
He also referenced comments made by Jonathan’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, who previously stated that her husband had no intention of returning to Aso Villa, as he did not leave anything behind to warrant a comeback.
The deputy spokesperson said the ticket would be given to someone who has shown interest in running for the presidency.
Jonathan, then in the PDP, lost the presidential election to former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
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