Former Edo State Governor and ex–APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has advised former President Goodluck Jonathan not to succumb to pressure to run in the 2027 presidential election, warning that doing so could damage his legacy.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Oshiomhole said that “only those who do not have Jonathan’s best interests at heart” would encourage him to return to active politics.

“How can Jonathan be a threat? We defeated him before when PDP was truly PDP. If a man had PDP at its best and was defeated, I think only his enemy will push him to go into the election,” he said.

Oshiomhole urged Jonathan to preserve his image as a respected statesman, rather than risk diminishing the honour he earned by peacefully conceding defeat in 2015.

“If I were to advise him, I’d say, Sir, maintain this status. You governed for eight years; you don’t have to govern for nine,” he added.

He praised Jonathan’s 2015 concession speech, describing it as “one of the most commendable acts in Nigeria’s democratic history.”

“That quote that the blood of any Nigerian is not worth my ambition remains unforgettable. He should let those legacies stand,” Oshiomhole said.

The former labour leader also argued that Jonathan’s political influence in the South-South has waned since leaving office, insisting that the APC would defeat him easily if he attempted a comeback.

“We will defeat him flatly if he comes out, because now the South-South is no longer PDP. So where will he start from?” he asked.

Jonathan, who was the PDP presidential candidate in 2015, lost to the late President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC marking Nigeria’s first peaceful transfer of power between rival parties.