The Presidency has dismissed suggestions that former
President Goodluck Jonathan could return to power on the platform of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing his record in office as
“disastrous.”
In a statement on Sunday, Bayo Onanuga, Special
Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said
Nigerians would not forget the “economic ruins” left behind by Jonathan’s
administration between 2010 and 2015.
Onanuga was reacting to remarks by former Minister of
Information, Professor Jerry Gana, who suggested that Jonathan could
contest the 2027 election on the PDP ticket and defeat Tinubu.
“Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes.
President Tinubu will wholeheartedly welcome him if he decides to enter the
race. But Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land on his
eligibility and his encounter with the people over his dismal record,” Onanuga
said.
The presidential aide accused Jonathan of squandering
oil revenues, depleting reserves, and mismanaging the Excess Crude Account,
which he said dropped from $20 billion in 2010 to $2 billion by 2015. He also
referenced the diversion of security funds and unpaid salaries across states
toward the end of Jonathan’s tenure.
By contrast, Onanuga said Tinubu had “stabilised the
economy” since taking office in 2023, citing a 4.23% GDP growth in Q2 2025,
a decline in inflation to 20.12%, and an increase in foreign reserves to
$42.03 billion.
He added that Tinubu’s reforms — including the removal
of fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rates — had restored investor
confidence, boosted infrastructure projects, and improved security efforts.
“The nation has turned the corner. The PDP broke the
economy; President Tinubu is fixing it,” Onanuga declared.
He also warned that Nigerians would not allow those
who “wrecked the country before to return and run it down again.”
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