Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has stated that former President Goodluck Jonathan needs to make a stronger case if he intends to run in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Muhammad-Baba said Jonathan must “sell himself” as a credible alternative and demonstrate that he is different from the Jonathan the public previously knew.
His comments come amid growing speculation that the former Bayelsa State governor is preparing to contest the 2027 presidency, potentially facing off against incumbent President Bola Tinubu. There is also ongoing debate about whether Jonathan will represent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election.
Muhammad-Baba said, “Goodluck Jonathan will be a candidate. But of course, he needs to do a lot more to sell himself, to offer himself as an alternative, to show that he’s now different from the Goodluck Jonathan we knew as a person. Circumstances have turned out that some of the criticisms against him were simply political and so on.”
READ ALSO: Goodluck Jonathan an ‘attractive candidate’ for 2027 presidency – ACF Spokesman
He added that, given the current economic difficulties facing the country, any candidate — whether from the south, the north, or beyond—must work harder to convince voters that they offer a genuine new alternative.
“Well, anybody could be a candidate. But I think, given the circumstances right now in the country, the difficulties people are facing, the challenging economic conditions, it will take a lot more for a politician… to convince the electorate that they are different, or that they offer a new alternative.”
