June 14, 2026
Dele Sobowale
“I thought of Napoleon, 1769-1821, who said the word “impossible” does not exist or should not exist” – German philosopher.
After the nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the presidential candidate of a faction of the moribund Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on May 30, 2026, in Abuja, I am beginning to believe that nothing is impossible in Nigeria’s political wonderland – a place where former inseparable friends become implacable foes; and where past political adversaries embrace eagerly – just on account of changing political parties.
Last week, I got republished an article written in October last year when the ADC was being formed and Jonathan was being tipped as the likely candidate. It was not clear then if Jonathan could legally run for office again. And, in my view, PDP, with its monumental problems, was the last platform on which he would attempt to try again. But, politicians are different from columnists. At any rate, by the time GEJ was cleared by the Supreme Court, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, door was firmly shut against him. So was the Nigerian Democratic Coalition, NDC. Atiku/Amaechi and Obi/Kwakwanso had seized control of ADC and NDC respectively. Perhaps, the PDP remained the only possible game in town – despite the threat of legal action by the Wike faction. In some respects, Jonathan’s re-entry into PDP has already loosened Wike’s grip on his own faction. Some of the die-hard PDP members might find GEJ a more credible leader to follow than Wike’s nominee. The question now is: What can Nigerians expect?
