Human rights activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju has stated that former President Goodluck Jonathan is the only southern politician capable of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Adeyanju made the claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter), though he acknowledged that Jonathan is unlikely to run.
“GEJ is the only southern candidate that can defeat Tinubu but I don’t think he will run against Tinubu,” he wrote.
Addressing questions about Jonathan’s eligibility, Adeyanju insisted that the constitution does not bar the former president from contesting again.
“GEJ is not constitutionally barred from contesting. Our laws forbid a situation where any law would be made targeting a particular individual,” he said, adding in jest: “If I try to explain this to you now, headache might worry you but have a great day sir.”
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In a related post, Adeyanju criticised former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, claiming he leveraged religious sentiment to secure support during the 2023 elections.
“This was how the church secured 6 million votes for Obi in 2023. We will not be alive and watch you religious bigots rewrite history,” he wrote.
Adeyanju contrasted Obi’s approach with Tinubu’s, stating: “I can never respect a man who used religion to campaign in a multi-religious country. At least the Muslim-Muslim guys didn’t go round mosques to campaign; Obi did despite my warnings.”
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, has not indicated any intention to re-enter the political race, but his name continues to surface in political discourse ahead of 2027.
