The Presidency has cautioned former President Goodluck Jonathan against what it described as “sugar-coated cheerleaders” within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning that some political actors are attempting to lure him into the 2027 presidential race for selfish reasons.

In a statement issued on Monday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said while Jonathan reserves the constitutional right to contest, he should be wary of PDP stalwarts who abandoned him in 2015 and may do so again.

“Politicians of Jerry Gana’s ilk merely want to lure him into the race to satisfy their personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests. They will abandon him midstream, as they did in 2015, and leave Gentleman Jonathan in the lurch,” the Presidency said.

The statement was in reaction to comments by former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, who suggested that Jonathan would run on the PDP platform in 2027 and could defeat President Bola Tinubu.

According to the Presidency, Jonathan’s six-year administration left behind “a legacy of economic ruin,” citing depletion of foreign reserves, mismanagement of oil revenues, corruption in the fuel subsidy regime, and unpaid salaries across states as part of his “dismal record.”

It contrasted that with what it described as President Tinubu’s economic reforms, which have led to the removal of fuel subsidy, unification of exchange rates, GDP growth of 4.23% in Q2 2025, reduced inflation, and renewed investor confidence.

“President Jonathan and others are welcome to the 2027 race. They broke the economy before, but millions of Nigerians, who will not easily forget the recent past, will not allow them to return and run it down again,” the statement added.