Jude Imagwe, a former Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has stated that his former principal is neither power-hungry nor desperate to return to the presidency.

Imagwe made the remarks during an interview while reacting to the decision of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, to reportedly announce Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

According to him, there is no evidence that Jonathan accepted, completed, or submitted any nomination forms related to a presidential bid.

“One thing is clear. That is the fact that I do not think former President Jonathan is power-hungry or power-drunk.

“If he was power-hungry, he would not have relinquished power in 2015. I also do not think that President Jonathan is desperate to return back to Aso Rock because clearly he hasn’t forgotten anything there,” Imagwe said.

He noted that Jonathan’s political journey was built on sacrifice, discipline, resilience, commitment, and humility, adding that the former president has remained silent despite ongoing discussions about his political future.

Imagwe accused certain political actors of dragging Jonathan’s name into conversations about the 2027 election for their own ambitions, stressing that the former president has not publicly indicated any interest in contesting.

“But the unfortunate situation is that certain persons who have masqueraded themselves with dangerous ambition to perpetually remain in the public conversation regarding 2027 have chosen to drag the name of an innocent gentleman who, for reasons best known to him, has still not said anything about it,” he said.

The former aide further argued that legitimate nomination processes require the direct involvement and endorsement of the aspirant.

“What is clear is that there is nobody that gets a nomination form that does not have his or her signature on it, and such instances are ceremonial.

“There is no pictorial evidence suggesting that any of these documents were completed by the former president,” he added.

The comments come amid growing speculation over Jonathan’s political future following reports that a PDP faction had adopted him as its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, despite the absence of any public confirmation from the former president himself.