Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied reports suggesting he has stepped aside from contesting the 2027 presidential election.

The rebuttal follows claims in a news report that the Otuoke-born statesman had opted not to run so as not to disrupt Southern unity.

Although Jonathan has not officially declared his candidacy, strong indications suggest he has begun consultations across the country to actualise a second-term ambition.

On Friday afternoon, his cousin, Azibaola Robert, dismissed the report in a post on his verified Facebook page, stressing that Jonathan never said he would not contest in 2027.

Azibaola was responding to a Newsweek Nigeria publication titled “Jonathan Rejects Pressure to Contest in 2027, Says He Won’t Be Used Against Southern Unity.” He described the story as fake and urged Nigerians to disregard it.

He further clarified that the purported “aide of Jonathan” cited as a source in the story does not exist.

According to Azibaola, while Jonathan has not yet announced his decision to run, he has equally not ruled himself out of the race.

“The former president has made it clear that he would not yield to calls not to run, since those making such admonitions had selfish motives,” Azibaola said, without specifying when or how Jonathan might formally declare his ambition. (Vanguard)