By Victoria N. Ikeano
 
Mystery of the 2027 race is the potential participation of former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. A faction of the PDP, specifically the Tanimu Turaki-led faction announced to the world that he registered with them. They were later to announce that they had sold expression of interest/presidential nomination forms to him. A day to the date fixed for his screening by that faction, they declared that Jonathan had been granted a waiver. In other words, would he be their consensus, sole presidential candidate?
 
A veteran journalist, former two-term governor and ally of President Tinubu appeared to give some credence to Jonathan’s entry into the race when he remarked that Obi, Makinde, Atiku and Jonathan are part of a gang up plot to deplete the southern base. His words, “They are plotting to field several candidates from our region in the south. Obi has emerged, Jonathan is quietly waiting in the background and Makinde has been grandstanding. All these appear to be attempts to divide votes from the south”. A federal high court has just given a boost to the former president’s potential entry into the race by reaffirming that he is eligible to contest.  Expectedly, the Turaki-led PDP faction hailed this judgment. 
 
Nevertheless, the mystery of Jonathan contesting the 2027 presidential election as per Turaki’s assertions is that there are no pictures of him buying or being handed the expression of interest/presidential nomination forms; no photographs of  him proudly displaying these forms as all presidential aspirants are wont to do; there is no picture/video of a gathering where he was affirmed as the consensus candidate for the party. Still, proponents and supporters continue to push this narrative and not a few people believe it —- that his name would be in the 2027 ballot. More so, everyone is reminded that in politics, not least Nigerian politics, anything is possible.
 
Nonetheless, there is still a hurdle which is that the Turaki-led faction is not recognized by INEC. Its only executives of  FCT minister, Nyesom Wike-led faction’s names that appear on INECs portal as authentic  PDP with Abdulrahman Mohammed’s name (not Turaki’s) displayed as its chairman. Still it may be argued that Turaki and company probably have something up their sleeves that they are seriously guarding in order not to have their plans truncated by political opponents as being currently witnessed by some parties and that they would most probably unveil the Jonathan candidature at the very last minute when nothing else can be done about it, ipso facto.
 
His Excellency, Goodluck Jonathan himself has neither confirmed nor denied his anticipated entry into the 2027 race, thereby deepening the mystery and drama.  As it is, it is only INEC’s publication of all contestants that can settle this matter. My sensing is that it will turn out to be a ruse, a farce.