Chidinma Unigwe, Spokesperson for the Goodluckans Movement 2027, has publicly called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election, arguing that his leadership style and democratic credentials are urgently needed to steady the country.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Saturday Unigwe, said the Goodluckans Movement is a diaspora-led civic advocacy movement made up of Nigerians at home and in the diaspora who are deeply worried about the country’s direction and feel compelled to intervene in the national conversation about leadership and governance.
“So Good Luck Hands is a diaspora-led civic advocacy movement made up of Nigerians at home and abroad who are deeply concerned about the future of our dear nation, Nigeria.”
She explained that many Nigerians living abroad have been exposed to societies where governance works effectively. “You see, as Nigerians in the diaspora, many of us have seen what good governance looks like. For example, I work with one of the provincial governments, and I’ve seen the benefits that citizens enjoy when institutions work, leaders are accountable, and public trust is respected.”
According to her, the movement believes Nigerians deserve a government that genuinely cares about its citizens and provides equal opportunities for all, regardless of background. “We believe that Nigeria needs a government that genuinely cares about its people and a nation where citizens have equal opportunity to thrive. And so this is why our mission is to promote good governance, peaceful civic engagement, and informed national dialogue, particularly at a time like this when Nigerians feel disconnected from leadership and we are all aware that most Nigerians are uncertain about the future.”
Unigwe said it was within this context that the Goodluckans Movement decided to publicly call on former President Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election. “So in this context, I’m using this platform. We’re publicly calling on former president Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election because we believe his leadership qualities are relevant to Nigeria’s current challenges. We call on Nigerians at home and abroad to join the movement.”
She described Jonathan as a leader who embodies respect for democratic institutions, national unity. “We believe his leadership reflects values that Nigeria urgently needs at this moment. You see, Dr. Jonathan represents respect for democratic institutions, national unity, restraint in the exercise of power. These are qualities that have become even more important in times of economic pressure such as this, times of social tension, and now that we have declining trust in leadership.”
Unigwe highlighted several developments recorded during Jonathan’s tenure, including progress in education through initiatives such as the Almajiri schools. “Under his leadership, Nigeria recorded meaningful advancement in education. We even heard about the Almagyri schools. We had significant improvement in agricultural reforms. Our communications infrastructure improved. The electoral process reforms that he actually also conducted, as well as there was a serious improvement in power. In one tenure alone, Nigeria became the greatest economy in Africa.”
Most significantly, she described Jonathan’s decision to peacefully concede defeat in the 2015 presidential election. “Most notably, his decision to peacefully concede the 2015 presidential election marked the most defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey.”
Addressing questions about whether the movement had reached out to the former president. “We have not contacted him. We’re using this platform, as Nigerians who care deeply about our nation, to mandate him, not just urge him. We have Nigerians who believe in putting Nigeria first. We have seen what his leadership represents, and we believe that his leadership is what Nigeria needs right now. So Dr. Goodluck Ebele-Jonathan, if you can hear me, if you’re watching this, the Goodluckans would like to urge you and mandate you to contest the 2027 presidential election, because Nigeria needs you. We want you to join the movement. We want you to put Nigeria first.”
She said the movement believes Jonathan’s experience and willingness to respect democratic norms position him as a unifying force capable of helping Nigeria. “So as Nigerians and as Goodluckans, we believe that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, based on his experience, right, and based on the fact that he was willingly able to let go of power and to follow the laws of democracy, we believe he’s what Nigeria needs right now. And we believe he’s a unifying force. And we believe that if he was able to put it in check right then and manage the situation, we believe he has what it takes to come back and help the economy and steer us in the right direction. Because there’s a lot of political instability at this time.”
On insecurity, Unigwe acknowledged that serious challenges existed during Jonathan’s administration but argued that the situation has worsened since then. “One of the reasons it has declined is because while I believe that while Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was in power, he actually put in place processes and things to ensure that the insecurity was tackled. We have situations where even the wife of the former president came out to speak about the insecurity situation, especially regarding the Chibok girls. Right now the discourse has changed. It’s now a question of, oh, it’s only happening to Christians. It’s not happening to Christians. But we’re all Nigerians, regardless of whether we’re Christians or Muslims. Right? Regardless of our tribe, we all remain one. So as Nigerians and as Goodluckans, we believe that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, based on his experience, right, and based on the fact that he was willingly able to let go of power and to follow the laws of democracy, we believe he’s what Nigeria needs right now. And we believe he’s a unifying force.”
Unigwe also addressed questions around political party affiliation, saying the movement does not seek to dictate which platform Jonathan should use. “At this point, we do not have any control over Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s choices, but we believe that he is politically intelligent enough to determine the right party that would stand Nigeria in the right course and in the right direction. So, our only ask at this time is to mandate him to contest. We believe that when he contests, he would be able to choose the right party. And we also believe that he has what it takes to unify Nigerians and reduce the social tension and create equal opportunities for everyone.”
She further addressed comparisons with other political figures, including Peter Obi. “Now, the reason we are asking Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to contest is because we believe that his leadership style is what Nigeria needs at this time. So, four years ago, or a few years ago, when Dr. Peter Obi contested, what the nation needed at that time was something centred on efficiency, accountability. And Dr. Peter Obi was someone who had all those principles, and he, at that time, was the right candidate. Now, at this time, there’s a lot of disunity. There’s a lot of social tension. There’s a lot of distrust in the government. We need someone who can actually come in and actually steer Nigeria in the right direction. This is one of the reasons we believe. One of the reasons the Goodluckans was set up was because we’ve determined that it’s time we, as Nigerians, all put Nigeria first. This, for me, includes Dr. Peter Obi, So I believe that this platform would actually help, and we’re all working for the same good.”
Unigwe concluded by reiterating that the group’s central message was about. “One of the reasons the Goodluckans was set up was because we’ve determined that it’s time we, as Nigerians, all put Nigeria first. This, for me, includes Dr. Peter Albi. So I believe that this platform would actually help, and we’re all working for the same good.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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