A pro-Tinubu group in Ondo State, the Progressive Network for Tinubu (PNT), has warned former President Goodluck Jonathan against returning to the presidential race in 2027, saying any attempt to do so would end in “embarrassment.”
The warning came amid reports that Jonathan may be considering a comeback under a yet-to-be-disclosed political platform.
The development followed a suit filed on Monday by an Abuja-based lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, before the Federal High Court, seeking to bar the former president from contesting in 2027.
Speaking on Tuesday during the inauguration of PNT structures across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State, the group’s Director-General, Olumide Obadele, said Jonathan should protect his image as a statesman rather than join the 2027 race.
Obadele declared that President Bola Tinubu faces no formidable opposition, claiming that opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) are “politically lifeless.”
He said, “Jonathan will not run at the end of the day. The Constitution is clear, and there is no need to twist it.
If he insists, he will only end up embarrassed and rubbished. For us, 2027 is a done deal.”
The PNT chief maintained that Tinubu’s re-election bid would be an easy victory, insisting that none of the opposition parties has the structure or national reach to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added that the group was intensifying grassroots mobilisation to boost voter participation, especially in Ondo State, where less than 30 per cent of registered voters participated in the last general elections.
“Our target is to engage the 70 per cent who stayed away during the last polls.
We are meeting communities, youth groups, and civic organisations to strengthen support for Asiwaju,” he said.
Meanwhile, some civil society organisations in Delta State have condemned the suit against Jonathan, describing it as a “politically motivated distraction.”
The Director-General of the Young Nigerian Rights Organisation, Victor Ojei, in a statement issued in Asaba on Tuesday, called for the dismissal of the case, saying it amounts to an abuse of judicial process.
“The suit is legally baseless, morally wrong, and contrary to democratic spirit.
It represents a growing pattern of using the courts for political persecution,” Ojei stated.