Hundreds of young Nigerians gathered on Wednesday April 8, 2026, at the Abuja residence of former President Goodluck Jonathan, urging him to contest the 2027 presidential election. The rally, held at Taraba Close in Maitama, disrupted traffic as demonstrators marched, chanted, and displayed placards calling for his return to active politics. Some of the placards read, “GEJ: Nigeria is dying, save it!”, “GEJ, Nigerian youths break the medicine wey dem do you,” and “GEJ, if you no run, we quench.” The demonstration reflects renewed calls from political groups and diaspora organisations for Jonathan to re-enter partisan politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
A similar push emerged in 2022 before the 2023 general elections, when supporters purchased presidential nomination and expression of interest forms for him under the All Progressives Congress, despite his membership in the Peoples Democratic Party. The move sparked debate over its legality and constitutional implications. Jonathan ultimately declined to run and distanced himself from the effort.
Revisiting The Jonathan Administration
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan assumed office in 2010 after Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s death, won the 2011 election, and served until 2015. Since leaving office, he has largely maintained a statesman role. He has focused on diplomacy and election observation missions across Africa. However, recent demonstrations like the one in Abuja reflect renewed public interest in a possible return. They have also brought his presidency back under scrutiny.
Jonathan’s time in office coincided with one of the most challenging periods in Nigeria’s recent history, a period many critics attribute in part to perceived incompetence and policy failures within his administration. The Boko Haram insurgency escalated significantly during his administration, with large swathes of the North-East falling under threat at various points. The 2014 abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok became a defining moment. The delayed response from the Presidency drew widespread criticism, both domestically and internationally, and fuelled perceptions of a government slow to grasp the scale and urgency of the crisis. Subsequent attacks, including the mass killings in Baga, further deepened concerns about the administration’s handling of national security.
His presidency was also marked by persistent corruption concerns. Critics pointed to weak accountability structures and a governance style seen as tolerant of elite impunity. High-profile controversies, including allegations surrounding missing oil revenues raised by then Central Bank governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, reinforced public distrust after Sanusi was suspended in 2014. The administration faced additional scrutiny over the $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal, in which funds intended for the fight against insurgency were later alleged to have been misappropriated. Patronage politics in the Niger Delta, where former militant leaders were awarded lucrative security contracts, also fed perceptions of uneven governance and regional favouritism.
Internal political tensions compounded these challenges. Jonathan’s relationship with key figures within the ruling party deteriorated over time, most notably with former president Olusegun Obasanjo, whose public criticism in 2013 signalled deep fractures within the PDP establishment. He made the mistake of alienating Obasanjo, which led the former president to write a public 18-page letter lambasting the president. Rather than make peace, Jonathan retaliated and Obasanjo’s attacks on him intensified. A few months later, Obasanjo quit the PDP in anger and went so far as to rip up his party membership card on television. Jonathan also quarrelled with several of his party members, and this tendency to fall out with colleagues simultaneously weakened the ruling party and strengthened the opposition; many left in frustration and joined the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). This wave of defections all contributed to him being unseated in the 2015 elections.
Economic management during Jonathan’s tenure also drew mixed reviews. Nigeria experienced periods of growth, but structural vulnerabilities remained. A major flashpoint came in January 2012 when the government removed fuel subsidies, causing petrol prices to more than double overnight. The move triggered nationwide protests under the “Occupy Nigeria” movement, paralysing economic activity for days and forcing a partial policy reversal. Fuel scarcity remained a recurring issue throughout his presidency, culminating in a severe crisis in 2015 that disrupted transportation, banking operations, and telecommunications services. Critics argue that the government’s inconsistent handling of subsidy reforms and energy supply contributed to long-term instability in Nigeria’s oil sector.
Despite these challenges, Jonathan’s presidency had some notable achievements. His administration oversaw reforms in the electoral system, most significantly through the appointment of Attahiru Jega as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Under Jega, voter registration systems were strengthened and biometric technology introduced, improving the credibility of elections. The 2011 elections were widely regarded as more transparent than previous polls, and the 2015 election marked a historic turning point. Jonathan became the first incumbent Nigerian president to lose an election and concede defeat, calling Muhammadu Buhari to accept the outcome. The gesture was widely praised for helping to stabilise Nigeria’s democracy at a critical moment.
His administration also pursued reforms in agriculture and youth enterprise, including initiatives aimed at improving fertilizer distribution and supporting young entrepreneurs. These achievements have become central to the ongoing debate about Jonathan’s legacy. Retrospective analyses by policy institutions such as the Council on Foreign Relations have characterised his presidency as one marked by governance weaknesses and rising insecurity, even as his post-2015 conduct reshaped his global reputation.
Past Vs. Present
Today, his record is often viewed through a comparative lens. During the Jonathan administration, inflation hovered between about 8% and 9% in its final years, compared to over 30% in 2024. The naira also traded at roughly ₦160–₦200 to the dollar at the time, versus levels in the mid-₦1,400 range by the end of 2025, reflecting a steep depreciation in currency value and a marked shift in purchasing power over the past decade. Fuel pricing also forms part of the comparison: under Jonathan, petrol subsidies kept pump prices significantly lower, though at considerable fiscal cost to the state. In contrast, subsidy removal in recent years has led to sharp increases in fuel prices, feeding into higher transport costs and increasing cost-of-living for average Nigerians.
The renewed calls for his return also point to a broader political dynamic. There is a limited pool of widely popular opposition figures capable of mounting a strong challenge to incumbent President Bola Tinubu in 2027. Because of these, some groups have turned to Jonathan as a familiar alternative. The appeal, in part, is driven by nostalgia for what some perceive as more manageable periods in the country’s recent past. The debate over his potential return ultimately reflects a larger question about Nigeria’s political future: do we revisit past leadership, or allow a new generation of candidates to emerge?
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