Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied stepping aside from contesting the 2027 election.
This comes following a news report, which had claimed that the Otuoke-born scholar and politician had decided not to run in the next election so as not to distort Southern unity.
Although Jonathan has not officially declared to run in the next election, there are strong feelers that he had begun serious consultations across the country to actualise his second term ambition.
On Friday afternoon, his cousin, Azibaola Robert, wrote on his verified Facebook page confirmed that Jonathan had not said he would not run for the exalted office in 2027.
Azibaola, who was responding to a report carried by Newsweek Nigeria, with the caption: Jonathan Rejects Pressure to Contest in 2027, Says he won’t be used against Southern unity”, said the story by the medium was fake and should be discarded by Nigerians.
Azibaola pointed out that the purported aide of Jonathan said to have given the news magazine the information that he would not run in 2027, does not exist.
The former president’s sibling said that though Jonathan has not yet confirmed that he would run in 2027, he had also not told anyone that he would not contest when the time for election is ripe.
Azibaola said, “The former president has made it clear that he would not yield to calls not to run since those making such admonition had selfish motives”, but did not indicate when and how he would make his ambition to come through.