Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reportedly been under pressure from Northern political elites to consider running for the presidency in the 2027 elections.
These people are said to be dissatisfied with the current administration under President Bola Tinubu, which they believe has contributed to the economic challenges facing the country.
However, despite this pressure, Jonathan is constitutionally barred from running for the presidency again due to a 2018 amendment to the Nigerian Constitution. This amendment, signed into law by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, restricts any individual who has served as Vice President or Deputy Governor and subsequently succeeded their principal to only one additional term in that office.
The specific provision, known as Constitution Amendment Act Number 16, states that no person who has taken the oath of office as President or Governor more than once is eligible to contest for that office again. Jonathan, who completed the term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later won the 2011 presidential election, also ran in 2015 but was defeated by Buhari.
Given these constitutional restrictions, Jonathan is not eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election, despite the pressure from Northern political figures seeking an alternative to the current administration’s policies.