The primate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Henry Ndukuba, has urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to resist the temptation to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Ndukuba gave the advice while delivering his address at the first session of the 13th Synod of the Diocese of Abuja on Saturday.

He warned that a return to partisan politics could diminish the statesmanlike reputation and global respect Mr Jonathan currently enjoys. 

According to the cleric, Mr Jonathan has already secured an indelible place in history as a symbol of democratic maturity and peaceful leadership, particularly following his historic concession of defeat after the 2015 presidential election.

“We don’t want you to spoil that good name, and please, keep off for now, let them just play it. Be the senior citizen that you should be.

“We thank God for your life, not only for Nigeria but for the West Africa region, ECOWAS, and Africa.

”You are a symbol that should stand; you are a hope for our generation, that it is possible for us to be civil, to lead with integrity, and possible for us to pass on a worthy legacy to those coming after us,” Ndukuba said.

Mr Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), lost the 2015 presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

His immediate phone call to Mr Buhari, conceding defeat before the final results were fully declared, was widely praised for averting potential widespread post-election violence in the country.

Since leaving office, the former president has become a prominent international statesman, regularly leading high-profile election observation missions and peace mediation efforts across Africa on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU).

Despite his status as a statesman, speculation about Mr Jonathan’s potential return to the political fray has persisted.

 (NAN)