Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja – Ahead of the 2027 election, Deji Adeyanju has mentioned former President Goodluck Jonathan as “the only person in Southern Nigeria that stands any chance” of beating President Bola Tinubu.

Legit.ng reports that Adeyanju, a former head of new media for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently turned up the heat on ‘Obidients’, a sobriquet for die-hard supporters of Peter Obi, a presidential hopeful and candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.

Adeyanju speaks ahead of 2027 election

Adeyanju, who had expressed his preference for activist Omoyele Sowore for the Nigerian presidential seat, intensified his criticism of ‘Obidients’ following a social media clash with Serah Ibrahim, an ally of Obi. According to him, he voted for Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC) during the 2023 election, but will not mind electing President Tinubu in the 2027 election should the African Democratic Congress (ADC) opposition coaltion present Obi as its flagbearer.

In a social media post on Sunday, September 7, outspoken Adeyanju appeared to taunt Obidients by declaring Jonathan as the only political figure of southern extraction with the capability to defeat President Tinubu at the polls. Messrs Obi and Jonathan are from the southern region of Nigeria.

Legit.ng reports that Jonathan served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General late Muhammadu Buhari.

Since he was defeated in the 2015 presidential election, Jonathan has transmogrified into an elder statesman. However, some political stakeholders have commented on the possibility of the 67-year-old staging a comeback.

Adeyanju wrote on his known X page:

“GEJ is the only person in Southern Nigeria that stands any chance of defeating Tinubu. If not GEJ in the coalition, let the north have the ticket.”

Eligibility of Jonathan to contest

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a federal high court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, ruled that former President Jonathan is eligible to contest in the 2027 election.

The court’s decision was delivered on May 27, 2022, by Justice Isa Dashen.

According to Justice Dashen, a section of the Nigerian constitution, which bars individuals sworn in two times from contesting for the presidency, cannot be applied revisionally to Jonathan’s situation.

Source: Legit.ng