2027 Presidency: Jonathan In Fresh Trouble

2027 Presidency

OpenLife Nigeria reports that as preparations for the 2027 presidency gather momentum in which former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is said to have shown interest, his administration has come under scrutiny , a development that may pose obstacle to his ambition.

Goodluck Jonathan, 67, served as the President of Nigeria on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party , PDP, from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari.

While in office as President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan initiated CCTV project to improve surveillance, aid law enforcement, and curb criminal activities within Abuja.

In 2010, the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, led a Federal Government delegation to Beijing, China, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ZTE Communications of China, the firm awarded the contract for the project.

The project was financed through a $460 million loan from the China-EXIM Bank, drawn from a $600 million credit facility extended to Nigeria as a soft loan, repayable over 10 years after a 10-year grace period.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives resolved to investigate the $460 million Chinese loan obtained to finance the Abuja Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) project, originally designed to enhance security across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by Hon. Amobi Ogah (LP, Abia) during plenary.

Ogah expressed concern that despite the significant investment and continued repayment of the loan, the CCTV project has yet to deliver the expected results in improving security within the capital city.

He observed that incidents of insecurity have persisted in Abuja, underscoring the need for accountability regarding the project’s execution and effectiveness.

Following deliberations, the House mandated its Committees on National Security and Intelligence, Finance, and Public Accounts to investigate the circumstances surrounding the loan, the contract implementation, and the current status of the CCTV project, and to report back to the House for further legislative action.

Speaking on the probe, a former Reps member from North West said “ Though it is okay for Reps to probe any issues that is not clear, this move to probe CCTV project is obviously a move against Jonathan. It is all because of 2027. There was 8 years of President Buhari after Jonathan. So you can connect the dots,” he stated.