Reacting to the PDP’s invitation for Jonathan to run, the APC dismissed the idea, asserting that the former president would face another defeat if he returned to the race.
In 2015, Jonathan lost to APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari, marking the first time in Nigerian history that an incumbent president lost re-election.
Bala Ibrahim, the APC’s National Director of Publicity, stated that defeating Jonathan in 2027 would be easy, regardless of his political platform.
Ibrahim added that the APC was not concerned about the potential candidacy of Jonathan, dismissing it as an empty threat.
He pointed out that the APC’s victory over Jonathan in 2015 occurred while he was still in power, and predicted that they would defeat him again now that Bola Tinubu is the president and leader of the APC.
According to Ibrahim, it is the party structure, not the cult of personality surrounding former leaders, that will ensure the APC’s continued dominance in the 2027 election.
Ibrahim also noted that it was too early to be discussing the 2027 election, as less than 40 percent of President Tinubu’s mandate has been completed.
He emphasized that the APC was focused on the present, not the distant future, and that any political permutations around Jonathan’s return were premature.
He concluded that even if multiple versions of Jonathan emerged, they would still not pose a threat to the APC’s position in 2027.
