Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed as false a report alleging that he was offered N500 billion to contest against Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election.
The claim alleged that Jonathan was offered the money to run against Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and split South-South votes.
But Jonathan’s media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, described the claim as “entirely false and baseless.”
Eze, in a statement on Sunday, urged Nigerians to disregard the report, which he said was fabricated and falsely attributed to the former president.
He said the publication failed to state where or when Jonathan allegedly made the claim, who was present, or who allegedly made the offer.
According to him, the report bore all the signs of fake news deliberately created to mislead the public and drag Jonathan into unnecessary political controversy.
Eze said the build-up to a political season often comes with increased misinformation, false claims and fabricated statements.
He urged Nigerians to verify sensational political claims before sharing them.
The report, which circulated on Facebook on Sunday, alleged that Jonathan said he rejected the N500 billion offer because Igbo people stood by him when he needed support.
Speculation over Jonathan’s possible return to the 2027 presidential race has continued since May.
The speculation intensified after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party announced Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the next general election.
The faction had said a date would be announced for the formal presentation of the party’s flag to the former president.
The flag has, however, yet to be presented, with the deadline for the submission of presidential nomination forms to INEC approaching.