Former President Goodluck Jonathan has refuted claims that he has withdrawn from the 2027 presidential race. The clarification came after a news report alleged that the Otuoke-born leader had decided not to contest in order to preserve Southern unity. Though Jonathan has yet to make a formal declaration, there are strong indications that he has been holding consultations nationwide in pursuit of a possible second-term bid. On Friday, his cousin, Azibaola Robert, took to his verified Facebook page to dismiss the report, emphasizing that Jonathan never stated he would stay out of the 2027 race. Azibaola was reacting to a Newsweek Nigeria story titled “Jonathan Rejects Pressure to Contest in 2027, Says He Won’t Be Used Against Southern Unity.” He described the publication as false and urged Nigerians to disregard it. He further stressed that the so-called “aide of Jonathan” quoted in the report does not exist. According to him, while Jonathan has not declared his candidacy, he equally has not excluded himself from the contest. “The former president has made it clear that he would not yield to calls not to run, since those making such admonitions had selfish motives,” Azibaola said, without specifying when or how Jonathan might formally declare his ambition.