The South-South Vanguard Renaissance Group has called on former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to contest the 2027 presidential election, describing it as “unthinkable” for him not to offer himself for service at a time Nigeria is grappling with deep economic and leadership challenges.
The call was made in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, through a communiqué issued on Monday and signed by the group’s spokesperson, Mr. Henry Tamuno.
According to the group, there is no better person to lead Nigeria out of its current doldrums than Jonathan, given his experience, democratic credentials, leadership style and commitment to improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
Tamuno, who described the former president as a seasoned democrat, said Nigerians are increasingly yearning for Jonathan’s return, noting that the country enjoyed relative economic stability and steady national progress during his administration.
“Nigerians long for the better days under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan when the economy was stable and the country made steady progress on all fronts,” Tamuno said, adding that Nigeria began to derail after Jonathan left office in 2015.
He stated: “It would be unthinkable for Jonathan not to run for office in 2027 because he remains the most capable leader and the best bet in our political space to lead the country out of the economic doldrums that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has plunged us into in the past decade.”
Tamuno further accused President Bola Tinubu and his political allies of orchestrating Jonathan’s exit from office in 2015 to install the late President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he described as having “made a mess of leadership and rendered the country rudderless.”
“Ironically, Nigeria’s retrogression started when Jonathan was denied another term in 2015 by the current President Bola Tinubu and his allies to enthrone late President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
The group also criticised President Tinubu’s administration, alleging that it has brought untold hardship to Nigerians.
“Tinubu, so far in his first tenure, has demonstrated that he has nothing to offer Nigerians other than untold suffering and is no different from his predecessor, who remains one of the worst leaders in Nigeria’s history,” Tamuno added.
According to him, both Buhari and Tinubu merely sought power to “fulfil lifelong ambitions without any genuine desire to change the fortunes of the country.”
The group cautioned the President’s supporters against promoting a “South versus North” narrative ahead of the 2027 elections, noting that Jonathan, a southerner, was removed from office in 2015 through a political alliance between southern and northern interests.
“It would be hypocritical of the President’s supporters to push a South-against-North agenda now,” Tamuno said.
“We all remember when Tinubu collaborated with the North to oust a performing southern president because of personal ambition.”
He described calls for southern solidarity behind Tinubu as misplaced and lacking moral justification.
“To be clear, all political permutations and zoning arrangements align with a one-term southern presidency in 2027, where Jonathan can be elected to once again steer the country toward economic prosperity, stability and national unity,” he stated.
Tamuno said the 2027 general election presents Nigerians with an opportunity to “get it right,” urging citizens to rally behind Jonathan should he decide to contest.
“We believe that he will steer the country to prosperity, this time on a one-term mandate, to correct the wrongs of APC’s decade of misrule and maladministration,” he said.
The group called on Nigerians to make their voices heard in demanding good governance and to continue advocating for Jonathan’s return, insisting that Nigeria’s hope lies in his leadership.