2027 Presidency: Why Jonathan Must Not Contest — Kenneth Okonkwo
Renowned lawyer and Nollywood veteran Kenneth Okonkwo has strongly advised former President Goodluck Jonathan to steer clear of the 2027 presidential race.
Okonkwo, who once served as a spokesperson for the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation, told PulseNets that Jonathan would be doing himself a “huge disservice” if he yields to political pressure to return to the contest for Nigeria’s top office.
Speaking in a video interview shared on X (formerly Twitter), the actor-turned-politician acknowledged Jonathan’s right to make personal political decisions but stressed that the former president must remember that “many of his old detractors are now in charge of power.”
According to Okonkwo, some of those who publicly attacked Jonathan before the 2015 presidential election are the very individuals currently occupying strategic positions in government. He cautioned that these political players are known for deploying every available arsenal to destroy their opponents.
In his words to PulseNets, Okonkwo remarked,
“He has his right to decide, but my honest advice is this—he should not go near it. He shouldn’t even think about it. The same forces that nearly destroyed his reputation when they were out of power are now the ones in power. They will drag his name in the mud and roll him on the ground. I’ve been in politics long enough to know how far they can go.”
Okonkwo further described Jonathan as an
“unusual and idealistic politician” who, during his tenure, stood against entrenched political traditions that most Nigerian leaders usually uphold.
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He added,
“Dr. Jonathan remains vulnerable because he’s a former president who once broke from convention and challenged certain political norms. Those actions made him a target then, and they still make him a target now.”
Political observers who spoke to PulseNets learnt that Okonkwo’s warning reflects broader concerns within Nigeria’s opposition space that a Jonathan comeback bid could reopen old wounds and trigger political hostilities ahead of 2027.
