Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, has urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to exercise caution as he weighs growing calls to contest the 2027 presidential election. Kukah spoke on Wednesday at the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana.
At the event, Kukah praised Jonathan’s 2015 decision to concede defeat — calling it “an act of sacrifice and honor” that restored hope in Nigeria’s democracy. He noted that Jonathan had the power and resources to resist the election outcome but instead chose peace, a move Kukah said exemplified dignity and strengthened democratic norms.
Quoting former Defence Minister General Theophilus Danjuma, Kukah warned: “The voice of the devil is not so far from the voice of God. Listen very carefully to those who want to use you as an instrument for the elongation of their interests, and not your interests or the interests of Nigeria.”
Kukah urged Jonathan to reflect, pray, and let conscience and national interest guide any decision on a political comeback. He recommended the former president reread “My Transition Hours” to revisit the moral dimensions of the choice he made in 2015.
Describing Jonathan’s 2015 call as near-divine and made “against the run of play,” Kukah said the act prevented wider conflict and provided Nigerians with a renewed sense of what democratic leadership should look like. He added that Jonathan’s conduct remains a reason many would still heed the former president’s call.
“Think very clearly. Pray very clearly. Final decision, it’s your call,” Kukah told the gathering, stressing that any return to active politics should not be driven by interest groups but by careful personal and national reflection.
