Former President Goodluck Jonathan has refuted a viral claim alleging that he turned down a ₦500 billion offer to contest against Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election to divide votes in the South-South.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan described the report as entirely false and urged Nigerians to ignore it.
Eze said the former president never made such a statement and was not offered any money to contest the 2027 election or to undermine Obi’s political prospects.
He also faulted the report for lacking basic details, noting that it failed to state when or where Jonathan allegedly made the remark, who made the supposed offer, or who witnessed it.
“The report failed to state where or when Jonathan allegedly made such a claim, who was present, or who purportedly made the alleged offer,” Eze said.
He described the story as fabricated and intended to mislead the public while creating unnecessary political tension ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Jonathan was never involved in the ‘N500 billion offer to divide the South’s votes against Peter Obi in the 2027 general elections.’ Nigerians should disregard the report entirely and exercise caution by verifying sensational political claims before circulating them,” he said.
Eze warned that the approach of election periods often leads to a rise in misinformation and fake reports, urging members of the public to verify politically charged stories before accepting or sharing them.
The claim, which circulated widely on Facebook on Sunday, alleged that Jonathan rejected a ₦500 billion offer to run against Obi, who was mistakenly identified in the report as the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
