Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been cleared by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest for the party’s presidential candidacy, with the Tanimu Turaki-led screening committee granting him a waiver. This decision, announced by former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu after the screening exercise in Abuja, recognized Jonathan's extensive political history, including serving as deputy governor, governor, vice president, and president. Aliyu stated that Jonathan had effectively been declared and cleared as a PDP candidate for the presidential election without the need for a full screening process due to this waiver.

In a related development, the PDP National Secretary and former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Amb. Taofeeq Arapaja, also received a waiver from the party's screening committee. Aliyu explained that Arapaja’s waiver was granted because he was attending to party matters in Ibadan, Oyo State. The committee also confirmed that other aspirants from various states, including Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Akwa Ibom, and Delta, had appeared for screening, with further screenings to continue within the designated period. Despite internal challenges, the former governor expressed strong confidence in the PDP's resilience and its ability to contest the upcoming elections successfully.

Adding to the speculation surrounding Jonathan's political future, Umar Sani, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has claimed that the former president has already purchased the party’s presidential nomination form for the 2027 general election. Speaking on Trust TV, Sani asserted that this action signifies Jonathan’s serious consideration of a return to active partisan politics, emphasizing that in politics, such procedural steps like obtaining nomination forms are clear indications of intent. When pressed, Sani confirmed that Jonathan had indeed acquired the form and was preparing to submit it publicly.

Sani also addressed potential legal challenges to Jonathan's eligibility to seek the presidency again, expressing confidence that such efforts would be dismissed in court. He argued that the matter of his eligibility had been judicially settled and could only be overturned by the Supreme Court. The PDP stalwart further predicted that a case before Justice Peter Lifu, scheduled for May 26, would likely be dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. He dismissed claims that Jonathan’s supporters were merely leveraging his name for political relevance, highlighting that many Nigerians still harbor nostalgic memories of his administration, which ran from 2010 to 2015 before his re-election loss in 2015 to former President Muhammadu Buhari.