The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that only the courts can determine whether former President Goodluck Jonathan is “constitutionally qualified to contest the presidency again.”
Jonathan was elected alongside ex-President Umar Musa YarÁdua in 2007, succeeded him upon his death on May 5, 2010, and then secured a full four-year term after winning the 2011 elections before being defeated in 2015.
In a statement on Monday night, Onanuga stressed that while Jonathan has the right to declare his ambition, the judiciary would ultimately decide the matter. Onanuga said: “President Jonathan reserves the right to run if he wishes. It is his inalienable right to contest the presidency again. President Tinubu will wholeheartedly welcome him if he decides to enter the race. But Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land. Indeed, the jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as president, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest the presidency and be sworn in, if successful, for a third term in office,” Onanuga said.
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Onanuga also revisited Jonathan’s record in office, claiming his administration “left the economy in decline.”
He stated, “We cannot forget in a hurry how his regime, devoid of any clear economic agenda, engaged in frivolous spending, ran the economy aground and put the country in dire straits. The nation’s economic downturn, which President Tinubu is working very hard to overcome, actually began under President Jonathan,” he said.
Onanuga alleged that Jonathan inherited $66 billion in 2010, but by 2015, both foreign reserves and the Excess Crude Account had dropped significantly.
He claimed: “By 2015, when the people democratically removed him from office, the foreign reserves had fallen below $30 billion, and the Excess Crude Account had been depleted to $2 billion, despite record oil revenue. By December 2014, the Jonathan-led Federal Government could no longer pay salaries to Federal Civil Servants. At least 28 states across the country owed workers huge salary arrears,” Onanuga stated.
Onanuga contrasted this with Tinubu’s economic policies, noting that reforms had stabilized the economy and restored investor confidence.
He claimed: “In just over two years, President Tinubu has stabilised the economy. GDP grew by 4.23% in the second quarter of 2025, the highest in four years. Inflation decreased to 20.12% in August 2025, the lowest level in three years. Foreign reserves stand at $42.03 billion, and the naira has virtually stabilised,” he said.
Onanuga concluded that infrastructure projects and security initiatives were also being implemented, stressing that “the PDP and Jerry Gana’s co-travellers broke the economy; President Tinubu is fixing it.”
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