‘Voice of devil not far from voice of God’: Kukah cautions Jonathan on 2027 comeback bid

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has warned former President Goodluck Jonathan to exercise extreme caution as calls mount for him to return to the presidential race in 2027.

Kukah, who spoke at the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, drew on the biblical and historical imagery of temptation, cautioning Jonathan that “the voice of the devil is not so far from the voice of God.” He urged him to discern carefully between genuine national interest and the selfish ambitions of those pushing him toward a political comeback.

“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 said.

The bishop nonetheless praised Jonathan’s concession in 2015 as a moment of rare sacrifice and statesmanship, saying it restored hope in Nigeria’s democracy at a time when he could have resisted the electoral outcome.

Jonathan, for his part, used the platform to stress that Nigeria’s future rests on building an independent judiciary that investors and citizens alike can trust. “No businessman can bring his money to invest in a country where the judiciary is compromised,” he warned. “If we must build a nation for our children and grandchildren, no matter how painful it is, we must strive to do what is right.”

But back home, political pushback is already mounting. Umar Yakasai, Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group, dismissed Jonathan’s potential return as inconsequential, insisting that Nigerians still recall the economic hardship, insecurity, and corruption scandals that trailed his six-year rule.

“Despite his policies, Nigerians rose in 2015 to demand change and voted in the APC,” Yakasai said on Arise TV. He accused Jonathan’s government of presiding over corruption, citing the $2.1 billion arms deal scandal, and described his tenure as marred by inefficiency, insecurity, and embarrassing roadblocks across the country.

Comparing Jonathan’s era to the present, Yakasai argued that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had stabilised the economy within two years, with inflation rates now “back to 2023 levels.” He insisted that voters, especially in Northern Nigeria, remain firmly opposed to Jonathan’s return.