Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied a report claiming he was offered N500 billion to run against Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election.
The report claimed Jonathan was promised the money to challenge Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and split votes in the South-South.
But Jonathan’s media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, dismissed the claim as “entirely false and baseless.”
In a statement on Sunday, Eze urged Nigerians to ignore the report, saying it was fabricated and wrongly linked to the former president.
He said the publication did not say where or when Jonathan supposedly made the claim, who was there, or who allegedly made the offer.
According to Eze, the report showed all the signs of fake news created to mislead the public and drag Jonathan into needless political controversy.
He added that the approach of another political season often brings more misinformation, false claims and fabricated statements.
Eze also urged Nigerians to verify sensational political claims before sharing them.
The report, which circulated on Facebook on Sunday, claimed Jonathan said he turned down the N500 billion offer because Igbo people stood by him when he needed support.
Speculation about Jonathan’s possible return to the 2027 presidential race has continued since May.
The speculation grew after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party announced Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the next general election.
The faction also said it would announce a date to formally present the party’s flag to the former president.
However, the flag has not been presented, even as the deadline for submitting presidential nomination forms to INEC draws closer.
