Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed speculations that former president Goodluck Jonathan will contest the 2027 presidential election.

Wike said that no politician can say he is in a race unless he shows interest.

The Minister made this known on Monday while fielding questions during his monthly media parley in Abuja.

“There is no public pressure or persuasion being put on any politician to contest elections, aspirants normally express interest before support is given,” Wike argued.

He argued that stories about political figures being coaxed by the public into running for office are frequently deceptive.

Normally, people contesting elections would have shown interest, either directly or indirectly, before supporters start rallying around them, Wike said.

“You don’t go and get someone to run,” he said. Somebody will say, “I’d rather go run and talk to you.”

Nobody comes to you, and says, I mean…, nobody sits there and says,

“When you hear sometimes politicians say people want me to come out, nobody wants anybody to come out. No one is sleeping inside, people will say come and run for an election. Either you have given signal that you are interested.

Did Jonathan ever express any interest? Respect him. He’s a former president. “No one can read the body language of a candidate.”

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A public affairs analyst, Summer Sambo, says there are indications that Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, will pick his running mate from the South-East.

Sambo said this on Monday while featuring on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’.

He was responding to the recent primary elections held in the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Indicators around Atiku’s running mate suggest he will likely pick the South-East. The South-East has long been his political base in the South.

“He picked Peter Obi in 2019 and Okowa in 2023. His coming to the South-East could be to reduce the influence of Peter Obi in the zone,” he said.

Remember he ADC declared Atiku its presidential candidate after he defeated former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

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Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has reacted to comments attributed to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, saying that Kwankwaso was once his political protégé.

Ganduje, in a statement issued from Saudi Arabia by his chief of staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, where the former governor is performing the Hajj, said the allegation was false.

Ganduje said politics is based on relationships, support and mentorship adding that every successful politician receives assistance from others at some point in their career, according to the statement.

He said he played a prominent role in Kwankwaso’s early political emergence, especially his election into the House of Representatives and his rise to become Deputy Speaker.

The statement quoted him as saying: “I also have the right to say that Kwankwaso was once my political boy because I supported him and helped him rise to important positions.

Kwankwaso would often visit his offices to discuss politics when he was working in Abuja and Kano before that time, Ganduje said.

The former governor also urged politicians to refrain from using labels like “godfather” and “political son”, stressing that the focus should be on the quality of leadership and development of the people.

He also recalled the political developments in Kano in 1998 when he won the governorship primary but stepped down in the interest of unity and agreed to be Kwankwaso’s deputy.

“The statement said that even though they later had political disagreements, Ganduje and Kwankwaso worked together for the development of Kano State between 1999 and 2003, and again between 2011 and 2015.

Ganduje said that though Yusuf once served under him, he is now the elected governor of Kano and deserves respect by virtue of the office he occupies.

Ganduje urged politicians and their supporters in Kano to shun making statements that would further polarise the state and called for peace and unity.

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The Director of Research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Femi Otubanjo, has expressed surprise that former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, is seeking to become Nigeria’s president.

It was reported that Otubanjo said this during an interview on Arise News TV’s morning programme.

He said he was surprised by Amaechi’s presidential ambition, saying the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain did not have the political weight required for the race.

“I’m surprised Amaechi is having a problem to be a president. “The problem is that Nigerians take politics as incantation, when you say something repeatedly, you feel you can do it,” he said.

The political analyst said Amaechi should not have contested the ADC presidential primary against the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

In his words, the former Minister of Transportation lacked the necessary structure and influence to pose a significant threat in the race.

“Why should Amaechi bother himself?” Otubanjo asked.

He said the result of the primary clearly indicated Amaechi did not constitute any threat to Atiku’s ambition in the ADC.

Otubanjo also questioned Atiku’s ability to get strong backing from Southern Nigeria in the 2027 presidential election.

“The ADC has no high-profile politicians in the South who could help win meaningful votes for the former vice president,” he said.

He believes that Atiku’s chances could be undermined by the party’s fragile structure in the South.

“It was as if Amaechi was not at the primary. “At the moment, Atiku has no leg in the South,” he said.

The NIIA director also claimed the ADC had no strong southern politicians to give it a serious electoral advantage.

He said Amaechi was still the only prominent southern voice in the party, but maintained that the ex-Rivers governor would not bring much political value.

“There is no prominent ADC member from the South, except Amaechi but Amaechi is not an asset,” Otubanjo said.

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has held its presidential primary election in Bayelsa State, where the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, defeated the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar.

The state results showed Amaechi polled 44,404 votes to defeat Atiku who got 6,570 votes, it was reported.

Another participant, Mohammed Hayatudeen, received 939 votes in the state.

The result put Amaechi ahead in Bayelsa as the party continued to collate results from the various states in the country.

But Atiku faired well in Imo State where he thrashed Amaechi by a wide margin.

According to the state’s result, Atiku scored 52,200 votes while Amaechi polled 7,659 votes.

Hayatudeen came a distant third with 1,121 votes.

The result from Imo gave Atiku a big boost in the contest as results from other states were still being awaited at the time of filing this report.

The ADC presidential primary is highly awaited as the party gets ready to unveil its flagbearer for the 2027 presidential election.

The results from other states are pouring in and the aspirants remain in contest.

Amaechi had a resounding victory in Bayelsa while Atiku had a convincing win in Imo, leaving the two leading aspirants with mixed fortunes in the two states.

Amaechi had earlier vowed to reject the outcome of the presidential primary if the process was not free and fair.

Amaechi, a former governor of the state, said this after casting his vote at his ward in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

But he said he would accept the result and work with whoever is chosen as the party’s presidential candidate if the process is credible.

After voting, Amaechi told journalists that the turnout in his ward was impressive and peaceful.

He said the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were present during the exercise before he cast his vote.

“It was a huge turnout, Amaechi said. First there was celebration, then we got the INEC people involved, I cast my vote and then left the place.”

The former minister said he had been following the conduct of the primary across the country from the Rivers State.

Amaechi said whether he accepts the outcome of the primary would depend on whether the process across the country was as transparent as what he saw in his community.

“I was monitoring the country state-by-state where I was, I hope the system would be transparent as it was in my village, if it’s transparent I would accept the result but if it’s not free and fair a lot of us would react,” he said.

The ex-governor said the ADC must guarantee that the process is in line with the wishes of party members.

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A Labour leader and immediate past president of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Williams Akporeha, has explained why the 10.9 million votes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the just-concluded All Progressives Congress presidential primary cannot be an error.

Akporeha, in a recent statement, stated that votes attracted by President Tinubu were well deserved.

He said the votes were as a result of the priority given to Workers’ welfare, productivity and the future of the people by Tinubu’s government.

He said Tinubu’s pro-people interventions, including the Student Loan Scheme, support for small businesses and efforts to stabilise the economy, earned the president votes at the APC presidential primary.

“The votes of 10.9 million Nigerians cannot be a mistake; they were earned on the basis of policies that put the welfare, productivity and future of the people first.

“From our members in 8,809 wards to the 774 local government areas, the message is loud and clear: working people believe in President Tinubu to complete the good work he has commenced,” Akporeha, who was also the coordinator of Working People United, said.

Former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim declared the APC primary results, in which President Tinubu received 10.9 million votes and his sole rival for the ticket, Stanley Osifo, received 16,503 votes, according to reports.

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Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, a presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for 2027, has alleged that there were malpractices in the ongoing presidential primaries of the party.

After participating in the exercise in Borno, he said on Monday that he has received reports from parts of the country of some ugly and disturbing malpractices in the ADC presidential primaries.

He added that some persons have been calling him and putting pressure on him to step down for another aspirant.

However, the Borno politician said that despite the complaints, the primary election in his own ward was peaceful and satisfactory.

He also called upon the party leaders to face the challenges and malpractices to save the image of the ADC before 2027.

He said: “Today is a momentous day as the ADC presidential primaries are still ongoing. “I’m coming from my ward where it’s peaceful and the people have said that they will vote massively for my candidature.”

“But I want to bring to the notice of the country some ugly and disturbing malpractices. “Firstly, I have received a number of phone calls from people asking me to step down for a particular candidate, saying that my candidature is going to create problems for the party.

“This has to be a free, fair and transparent election. Everyone who is eligible to hold any office has a right to offer his services. I have taken the presidential screening exercise. The ADC has issued a press statement that Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi have been cleared to contest the primaries.

“It is inconceivable that anyone would have the audacity to demand my resignation for the sake of a specific candidate. This morning and this afternoon in Kaduna State, as party faithful gathered, they were told a consensus has been reached and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen has stepped down.

“Even as at 5pm, the election has not taken place in Zaria where I have a lot of supporters. Rights were withheld from people. This act is a crime and a fraud. We are not going to take this criminality and we are going to fight it to the death.”

Hayatudeen also said that the people of Southern Borno gathered in large numbers and voted peacefully in the morning.

However, he said, the electoral officers who were supposed to collate the results did not fill in the result sheets and instead walked away to a secluded area to fill in the result sheets in the absence of the voters.

But he pledged himself to fight to the last.

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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has given former President Goodluck Jonathan the go-ahead to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The court, in its ruling on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, held that Jonathan was qualified to contest the election as a presidential contestant.

The judgement followed a suit filed by one Johnmary Jideobi who had asked the court to stop Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 presidential poll.

Jideobi also sought an order of the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting, processing or publishing the name of Jonathan as a presidential candidate in the next general election.

The plaintiff appealed to the court to hold whether the former president was still competent to seek election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria having regard to Sections 1 ( 1 ) , ( 2 ) , ( 3 ) and 137 ( 3 ) of the 1999 Constitution.

Jonathan, who was president from 2010 to 2015, has been reported to have been linked with a possible return to the presidential race ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Jonathan Waiver of PDP Faction
The court ruling comes days after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki reportedly offered Jonathan waiver to contest as the party’s sole presidential candidate.

The development had reignited fresh political debate over whether the former president could legally reenter the race after his previous term.

But in a ruling Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu said Jonathan could challenge the election.

The ruling effectively removed a legal hurdle that could have barred the former president from contesting any political party ticket ahead of the 2027 poll.

Justice Lifu held that the former president was not disqualified from contesting the election.

Although the court did not immediately release the full details of the ruling, the decision has now placed Jonathan among potential figures who may shape the political calculations ahead of the next presidential election.

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The Bauchi State chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has endorsed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The endorsement came during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Bauchi on Sunday where party leaders described Atiku as a seasoned politician with the experience to tackle the economic and security challenges in Nigeria.

Speaking at the gathering, the Bauchi ADC Chairman, Shu’aibu Dankama, said the decision was reached after consultations among party stakeholders who believe Atiku is still a strong figure that can lead the country.

“The endorsement is a testimony of the confidence in Atiku’s leadership qualities and ability to restore hope to Nigerians in the face of rising inflation, unemployment, insecurity and hardship across the country,” he said.

He urged party members to remain united, disciplined and committed as political activities leading to the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum.

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Media personality, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju has given reasons Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde did not purchase the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential form.

Speaking during an interview programme on TVC, on Thursday, Kolade-Otitoju said Makinde knows he would not be on the ballot if he did not join the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.

He dismissed the noise about merger, saying there is no merger without the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“Why did Makinde and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed not get presidential form from the Taminu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP?

“Forget all the noise about the merger, you cannot do a merger without the regulator INEC.

APC had a merger back then, around 2013, but not in this form. “You can’t just wake up one morning and say we’re merging because you lost the power play,” he said.

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