The race to the 2027 elections in Nigeria has clearly commenced this year, with key political stakeholders aligning themselves and defecting to parties that they believe will bolster their chances of success.

Atiku Abubakar remains a prominent contender seeking the presidency, but he is not alone. Other candidates, including Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and even former President Goodluck Jonathan, are emerging with a singular goal: to unseat Tinubu in 2027. …Click link to continue reading

As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections, discussions and prophecies regarding former President Goodluck Jonathan’s potential candidacy have intensified.

A video featuring Father Mbaka, a prominent and often controversial cleric, has attracted considerable attention.

In this resurfaced prophetic message, Mbaka warns that Goodluck Jonathan is undergoing a transformation into what he refers to as “Badluck.”

This warning is particularly significant as Jonathan aims to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 election.…click link for Mbaka’s video here

A Federal High Court has issued an interim injunction restraining former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), respectively.

The order, granted on Thursday, also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise the duo or their associates in those roles, pending the hearing of a motion already filed in the matter.

The suit was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, who is challenging the recognition of the new leadership by INEC. Bala insists he remains the authentic chairman of the ADC.

Earlier, INEC had updated its records, listing Mark as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary alongside other members of the new National Working Committee. The electoral body’s recognition followed the dissolution of the previous NWC led by Chief Ralph Nwosu at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.

As the political landscape in Nigeria gears up for the 2027 election, discussions and prophecies regarding former President Goodluck Jonathan’s potential candidacy have intensified.

A video featuring Father Mbaka, a well-known and often controversial cleric, has captured significant attention.

In this resurfaced prophetic message, Mbaka warns that the Goodluck Jonathan is now facing a transformation into what he labels “Badluck.”

This comes amidst the ambition of former president Goodluck Jonathan’s to face President Bola Tinubu in 2027 election.

Read: Mr. Mbaka gave this sermon to thousands of parishioners at his Adoration Prayer Ground in Enugu, Thursday, saying President Jonathan had failed to stem the tide of insecurity and corruption in the country.

In the year 2014, we had a lot of bloodshed in this country. People were dying like rats without anybody asking about them. This country suffered a lot of blood experience. Many of us witnessed that people were in tears. Just like the ancient world, the year 2014, the 4 in it had the queen in it, which had to do with death. Our leaders failedus with reckless abandon and nobody asked them question.

My message is in two branches (folds). Number one branch, the theme of this first message to my fellow countrymen is from good luck to bad luck. Once upon a time, the whole countrymen were crying for a leader who will help us move forward with our economy, have an authentic democracy, give our unemployed youths jobs, enable our power to be steady, who will industrialize Nigerians, who will encourage mass education and agriculturalize Nigeria.

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Having in view that oil will soon drop, give us security in a maximum level. By the grace of God, there emerged a Goodluck, all of us were happy, the Goodluck met Yar’ Adua and Yar’ Adua died. May the Holy Spirit help me as I utter this message, I know many will misunderstand it, but it will stand the test of time and you will know I’m speaking the truth.

The Goodluck met Yar’Adua and Yar’Adua died. Before you know it, the Goodluck met our oil and the oil had a bad luck and poured away, before we knew it, the Goodluck met our naira, our naira had a bad luck. Where are we going? What is the fate of this country? Shall we continue like this, we need change (shout of change from the congregation).

As I’m speaking with you, most of our civil servants did not celebrate their Christmas. The Christmas season that should be a Goodluck time became a bad luck time for our Nigerians forgetting that very soon, from 3rd January, the children will go back to school and the parent are going to pay school fees. From where? Are they going to use their urine to pay? (Shout of NO from the congregation). But where is the good water even if they are going to use their urine. Are they going to use their stool to pay the school fees of their children? (Shout of NO from the congregation). You have to eat well to defecate.

What is the fate of our children? Tears fill my eyes when I see our young graduates hoping and walking our streets. What is the meaning of kidnapping? Kidnapping is the grandson of unemployment. Boko Haram is a grand great child of the same unemployment, mass looting, and poor governance.

I’m not saying that Goodluck is a bad man. He is a good man. But he cannot lead Nigeria. As things stand right now, from the oracle of the Holy Spirit, Jonathan should honourably resign quietly and let Nigeria be. The destiny of Nigeria is greater than Goodluck Jonathan. The Goodluck in Jonathan has become a bad luck to Nigerians. Whatever brought him in should send him back and let Nigeria be.

By this time in few months to come, many are going to lose their jobs and there is no alternative. During election, Jonathan will answer Azikiwe, Ebele and become an Igbo man and after election, the Ebele, the Azikiwe and Goodluck will vanish from his identity. Who is fooling who actually?

Look at our federal roads, we are not even asking for new ones, roads built by Buhari and Babangidas —  the so called Hausa people— cannot be maintained. Follow Enugu here to Onitsha, children born some years ago do not know that there was a lane along the other side of Isiagwu and we are all saying continue. The continuity of Jonathan means disaster to Nigeria.

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We need change. May the Holy Spirit help me to vocalize what he has shown to me while I was waiting on him to give me a message for my people? I’m worried about the future of you my children. Go to school, go to school, mention any government school functioning in Nigeria now? Our schools are dilapidated. Nigeria is like an egg about to break in the hands of Jonathan Goodluck and we cannot allow it to happen. It is so unfortunate that pastors are becoming vultures around the president. Pastors are becoming hawks around him, eating the porridge of Jacob and selling their prophetic rights. And anointing is being merchandised in Aso Rock, carrying our nairas, turning it to dollars and carrying it in jets moving out of the country.

Listen, this is the voice on the pulpit: all these men of God, who are telling Jonathan to continue because they are benefitting one thing or the other, you should question your apostolic, prophetic anointing. What the Bible say is that Samson did not know that the Holy Spirit had left him. Let them watch if the Holy Spirit is still in them.

Listen, they will begin to tell us this one is a Christian the other one is a Muslim. I don’t believe in that. Who is a Christian more than Judas? Did Judas not betray Jesus? Judas was not just a Christian, he was not just a mere apostle, he was a super apostle like a cardinal but at a time he messed up and Bible says his office, let another take. That is the normal thing.

The way Nigeria is going right now, the office of Goodluck Jonathan let another take. I’m not campaigning for anybody. I’m filled with tears over what is happening in Nigeria. Some of us who have nongovernmental organisations funding charity, I know what I’m suffering. The more they are looting our resources, the more they are rending you unemployed, the more some of us suffer the more. If I have been paying for the school fees of 500 people, it would now jack up to 3000, or more.

What the government should do, individuals are struggling to achieve. When there is no road, no power, all this fake promises… where is the power? That Onitsha Bridge, has it now been built? No. After 6 years, and Goodluck has what it takes to do whatever. He surrounded himself with hooligans. By the time he comes down, he won’t have anybody to work with. He played himself into the hands of hooligans.

My interest is about the wellness of this country. Nigeria must survive what we are passing through by the help of God. The same God who saved us from Ebola will save us from this bad luck season (shouts of AMEN from the congregation).

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Look at it, there was a time there was an argument about pension fund – such billions. Who is talking about it now? Billions and we were hearing it… from excess crude oil money, where is the impact of the excess crude oil money? Now from oil boom, it has met a bad luck; it’s now oil doom. If my father will be my leader and my siblings will all die, let a stranger be my leader and let my family be. All I’m trying to tell you is that we have not entered into any covenant with anybody.

Last time, the First Lady came here. We are not partisan; we welcomed her. We did a spiritual drama here. Lifted four birds to fly up, the main one that should fly up refused to go. I did everything possible and that one is the healthiest of them all but refused to fly and the spirit of God said, don’t disturb him.

When God rejected Saul, David took over. Let me tell you, in the history of Nigeria, we have never experience bloodshed as we have in the time of Goodluck. If Goodluck means bloodshed for Nigerians are you waiting until your own blood is shed? (shouts of No from the congregation).

We need change, however God will do it. Look at the insecurity if you go to the northern part of Nigeria.

My fellow priest, my fellow pastors, don’t just stand up to attack this message, because you have mouth. Think well before you put your mouth, the voice is beyond your own contribution. Listen, are you waiting for your own church to be bombed before you speak out? If you go to Maiduguri, some parishes have closed down. Go to Potiskum. People no longer go to church on Sundays in many parts of this country. Now imagine a scenario where a president cannot fight a simple insurgence. This is not an external country attack o. It is not like another country invaded Nigeria. It is an intra distraction. And many of us are claiming that it was because Buhari said that he was going to make Jonathan’s government ungovernable. Listen, let’s assume Buhari said something like that, even though it’s not Buhari who said it. So if you are the president and somebody say something like that, will you not arrest such a person?

The video

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The recent resurgence of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan in the political scene has significantly shifted the focus, attention, and strategic planning within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) party’s quest for a presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 elections.

This shift has resulted in a diminished spotlight on other notable figures from the southern region, such as Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi, who were previously considered strong contenders. Click link to continue reading.

Jonathan is increasingly viewed by the ADC as a more marketable candidate capable of garnering substantial political support to mount a serious challenge against the current President, Bola Tinubu, in the 2027 presidential race.

Amidst this evolving strategy, it appears that both the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the ADC are actively courting Jonathan to position him as a consensus candidate representing the southern region.

Political analysts have underscored Jonathan’s potential as a formidable option for the presidency, highlighting that his intention to serve only a single term might resonate well with voters, particularly from the northern part of the country, who may be inclined to support a transitional figure.

Furthermore, his stature as a respected statesman, coupled with his reputation on the global stage, enhances his appeal.

Many supporters argue that Jonathan’s ability to mitigate divisions within the southern regions and present a united front makes him a credible challenger to incumbent President Tinubu.

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A prominent ADC chieftain, who is an advocate for Jonathan’s candidacy and requested anonymity, expressed strong confidence in his capabilities, stating, “He’s the best of all the opposition leaders today.”

This endorsement reflects the growing sentiment among some political circles that Jonathan’s leadership qualities and proven track record could play a pivotal role in the ADC’s strategy to secure a significant political foothold in the upcoming elections.

“He’s experienced and has demonstrated commitment to the unity and peace of the country by conceding defeat to Buhari in 2015.

“Of other aspirants, Jonathan has only a term to serve.

“That’s a sure bargain for the North.

“If he agrees to contest, we can persuade Atiku to nominate a vice presidential candidate. With that, victory is sure for the ADC.”

Jonathan’s possible comeback, however, faces uncertainty due to constitutional questions about his eligibility. Since he completed Umaru Yar’Adua’s tenure before winning in 2011, legal experts are split on whether he can legally run for president again.

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Nwauju further warned that the experiences of previous leaders who relied on similar transactional systems show that such loyalties are inherently temporary.

‎Once the incentives dry up, the influence that was once thought secure rapidly disappear.

‎Nwauju argued that political control in Rivers State operates on a “pay-as-you-go” basis.

He clarified that no political figure, regardless of office or position, can claim lasting authority.

‎Instead, real power depends on the ongoing ability to reward and incentivize followers.

‎“It’s obvious Governor Sim Fubara influence as Governor is castrated. An average Rivers politician only follows you when you have contracts or money to share and Wike is sharing the money now.

‎But, I refer you to the experiences of all those who distributed patronages like him, before now. Has all the transactional loyalties around not expired? So, nobody owns any structures. It is pay as you go,” he said.

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The call for another Jonathan presidency reflects the four attitudes to a death: denial, rage, negotiation and acceptance

Some political losses are like death. To those who win, especially when the loser is a man in the top office of the land like Goodluck Jonathan, it is like a big iroko that crashes through a forest. No tree or leaf or bough is stout enough to repulse the thuds, hisses and howls of its fatal fall.

The victors, the likes of Buhari and his APC, could have looked at Jonathan’s fall as “a magnificent death,” the same way Joseph Conrad penned an obituary, in his metaphoric story titled: Youth about the bonfire of a ship at sea.

Hear the prose master: “A magnificent death had come like a grace, like a gift, like a reward to that old ship at the end of her laborious days.”

If it was a reward for the victor, it was a sackcloth for Jonathan and his PDP. So, the clamour for his return is an effort at resurrection. We were all witnesses to the death and burial, and there has been none like it since the birth of this nation. Jonathan set a record for presidential failure as the first to go belly up in office. We saw Pastor Orubebe and his hysteria at the funeral hour. Jonathan consecrated his annulment in a concession telephone call to Buhari that went viral.

The call for another Jonathan presidency reflects the four attitudes to a death: denial, rage, negotiation and acceptance. His people, and Jonathan even, have not reached the acceptance stage. They see Jonathan as the Prophet Joel who didn’t go belly up but must survive the biblical whale’s belly, the revenant politician. The thing about mourning is that when mourners have not reached the acceptance phase, they show denial, rage and negotiations, sometimes have the psychosis of witnessing all of them at the same time.

We saw it in Bala Mohammed in his many spasms. We saw it in Jerry Gana, and his many shadowy advocates. We see it also in Jonathan, who cannot come out in one word to say he will or will not. He does not feel it is the end of his hope, and perhaps, his ambition still flickers in denial and does not agree with Shakespeare that “he that dies pays all debts.” He probably believes Nigerians owe him.

Mourning in politics means a lot. You mourn a loss of prestige, the privilege of access, the contracts and perks, the new palaces here and abroad, the fattening wallets in dollars and pounds and Euros, the family flamboyance at shopping malls in Europe and North America, the social standing, the free tickets, the photo ops at high-profile events and with the high and mighty, the top perch at social parties, the small impunities over the lives of “lesser” beings, the village honour, the syrupy flatteries.

Jonathan and his acolytes mourn these. So does the PDP that has been in disarray for some time. Some of those in the interloper party, The ADC, are now bored because they cannot get those perks. It is not about the people. It is the flattery and magnificence of high office.

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The Jonathan who became president and tugged at the popular conscience with his “I had no shoes” rhetoric was a different one who sought re-election. He was known as clueless, and this column called him famously as “his excellency the snake.” But he somehow believed that he would win again. A top politician told me recently about how many henchmen assured him the north was solid for him. He was too naïve to doubt. They told him he had Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, and they did that to “collect”. And they did in spades. Hence his recent outburst about politicians who betray.

He had that in mind. And they were the same order of men who sweetened him into disaster.

They in the words of Shakespeare in Macbeth, flatterers of “yesterdays (who) have lighted fools the way to dusty death.” But Jonathan must be thinking about his chances, and the most challenging is not about getting a ticket, it is whether if he gets a ticket, it will not be in vain.

As Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo cautioned, the constitution has said you cannot be sworn in more than twice as president. It is booby trap.

So, while he and his men may be mourning a death that occurred in 2015, he may be wary of a second death, apologies to the Book of revelations. But a second death is a revelation that comes as a prophecy he is wary of fulfilling.

Jonathan has made himself to believe he is an African statesman, simply because he accepted in public that he did not win the polls, and waxed poetic about his ambition not worth the blood of innocent lives. It is the sort of meekness that brought him to power in “I had no shoes,” that also inspired his presidential epitaph that he did not want his ambition to equate the shedding of innocent blood.

But politics is not for meek people. Ambition, as Shakespeare wrote, is made of “sterner stuff.” Jonathan had good luck and it made him a president. It did not redound to good governance, good welfare, well-calibrated policies. In fact, the policies under his watch contributed to the distortions in the economy now under repair.

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But what some are seeing as his second birth of good luck are the one-term opportunity for the South, and what some see as an economic situation that strains the poor. Another factor is their reliance on collective amnesia and some non-Yoruba in the South’s belief that, somehow, they can snatch it for one term.

It is in this context that Peter Obi, ever the hustler, is now a homeless man seeking a shelter of opportunity.

So, what we have are a few impediments for Jonathan. The biggest of them is the law. It forbids his ambition. Two, he may have to struggle for a party that will damn the law. The PDP does not seem to have goose pimples at his prospects except for a few self-serving carpet baggers who want to climb on his back and have, at least, a job to do until that scheme goes belly up again.

Again, for a Jonathan that did not heal an economy but broke it, many businesses will remember how broke they were in his days. If a collective amnesia holds forth today, an election campaign can rip up the scab of his time. The ethnic factor, ever an unspoken part of the Jonathan proposal, may turn out to be a bad market because he will return to the dog whistles of tribe and faith that may turn him into the Obi sort of divisive candidacy that may not work again this time.

So, what we may have is not Goodluck Jonathan of 2011, but a man of hard luck. It all seemed picture perfect for him.

He did one term and he is the perfect man to complete it but the law says no. He could play messiah for an economy but his past says he failed. He cannot conjure tribe and faith or he will compete with Obi who did it and we know the result.

So, what we have is Jonathan of bad luck in a time of opportunity. This leaves him and his acolytes to decide whether to accept his political obituary or return to the doomed cycle of denial, rage and negotiation, like Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s award-winning novel, The Discomfort of Evening. The novel, written in a register of lugubrious innocence, tracks a family that finds it hard to live in acceptance of son’s death.

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-Culled: The Nation