Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday met privately with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, a visit that has fueled fresh political speculation.
The meeting was held behind closed doors, with neither the Presidency nor Jonathan making any public statement afterward. Only an official photograph of the two leaders was released.
Jonathan’s visit comes at a time when his name has been linked to recent political developments ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In recent weeks, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Tanimu Turaki announced Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the January 16, 2027 election.
The group made the declaration on May 30 during a gathering in Abuja, despite the Supreme Court recognising the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led PDP leadership backed by Nyesom Wike and subsequently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
During the event, House of Representatives Minority Leader Fred Agbedi said he accepted the party’s Certificate of Return on Jonathan’s behalf, claiming he had the former president’s authorisation and that the certificate would later be formally presented to him.
On July 31, the Turaki-led faction also claimed it had manually submitted Jonathan’s nomination and those of other candidates to INEC after the commission’s online portal had already closed.
However, when INEC released the final list of 19 presidential candidates on Saturday, Jonathan’s name was not included.
Despite the controversy surrounding his reported nomination, the former president has remained silent and has not publicly commented on the claims made by the faction.
Instead, on the same day INEC published the list, Jonathan was in Jos, Plateau State, where he attended the public presentation of the autobiography of former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah Jang, as a special guest.
His quiet meeting with President Tinubu has now added another layer of intrigue, leaving political observers questioning whether the visit was simply a courtesy call or part of broader political consultations ahead of the 2027 elections.
