Former President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that he is fully qualified to run for president again in 2027, but clarified that this is not an announcement of his candidacy.
Jonathan’s remarks come in response to public warnings from Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo (SAN) and legal scholar Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, who argued that constitutional barriers would prevent him from running due to his previous tenure.
Through a statement posted on Facebook by his brother, Azibaola Robert, Jonathan firmly dismissed their concerns. The statement warned Keyamo and Odinkalu to steer clear of his political decisions and emphasized that Jonathan has access to senior legal counsel.
“GEJ is 100% constitutionally and legally qualified to contest, if he chooses to. This is not a confirmation that GEJ is running, though,” the post stated.
The controversy began when Keyamo suggested that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) risked having no presidential candidate if it nominated Jonathan. He cited Section 137 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the matter would ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
Jonathan’s camp countered this, asserting that his constitutional eligibility is “unquestionable” and that he requires no unsolicited advice on the matter, effectively shutting down the debate from the two lawyers.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
