Former Edo State governor and ex-national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has warned former President Goodluck Jonathan against yielding to pressure to contest the 2027 presidential election, saying such a move would tarnish his legacy and hard-earned reputation.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Oshiomhole said only those who do not wish Jonathan well would urge him to return to the political arena, adding that the APC would easily defeat him if he chose to run.

“How can Jonathan be a threat? We defeated him before when the PDP was truly the PDP,” Oshiomhole said. “If a man had the PDP at its best and still lost, I think only his enemies would push him into another election.”

He advised the former president to sustain his image as a respected statesman rather than attempt a comeback that could erode the goodwill he earned after conceding defeat in 2015.

“If I were to advise him, I would say, ‘Sir, maintain this status. You governed for eight years; you don’t have to govern for nine,’” Oshiomhole stated.

The former labour leader commended Jonathan for his historic concession after the 2015 polls, describing it as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic history.

“He has shown that one can remain relevant and respected outside power,” he noted. “That memorable quote — ‘my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian’ — remains one of his greatest legacies. He should let those legacies stand.”

Oshiomhole further claimed that Jonathan’s political base in the South-South had weakened since his exit from office, making any potential comeback unrealistic.

“We will defeat him flatly if he comes out because now the South-South is no longer PDP. So where will he start from?” he queried.

Jonathan, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, lost the 2015 presidential election to the late Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.