By Josh S. Uwa

The argument that former President Goodluck Jonathan should remain outside the 2027 race is often framed as a matter of preserving his dignity and legacy. That concern is understandable. But at critical moments in a nation’s history, duty must take precedence over comfort, and national rescue over personal preservation.

Nigeria is not approaching an ordinary election cycle. The country is facing a profound crisis of confidence in leadership, institutions and governance itself. Public trust is eroding rapidly. Political parties have become largely transactional platforms for power acquisition rather than vehicles of ideology, competence or national renewal. At such moments, nations naturally look toward tested hands, not political experiments.

President Jonathan’s status as a former Head of State and respected global statesman should not be treated as a ceremonial retirement plaque. It is evidence of experience under pressure. Around the world, countries in moments of uncertainty have turned back to leaders who understand the burdens of office, the complexity of national cohesion, and the consequences of political recklessness.

The claim that this is an “ill-opportune” time to draft him fundamentally misunderstands the urgency of the moment. National crises do not wait for convenient timing. Leadership is most required precisely when conditions are unstable, fractured and dangerous. Waiting endlessly for a “better moment” while insecurity deepens, economic hardship intensifies and social trust collapses is itself a dangerous luxury.

Yes, the growing calls for Jonathan’s return reflect a form of desperation. But desperation is not always irrational. Sometimes it is the clearest indicator that citizens no longer believe the current political direction is sustainable. Nigerians are not revisiting Jonathan merely out of nostalgia. Many are reassessing his era through the harsh realities of the present and concluding that some of the values once dismissed , restraint, civility, democratic tolerance and institutional respect , may have been more valuable than previously appreciated.

To argue that he should be “saved for the future” assumes there will still be sufficient national stability left to preserve if decisive intervention is delayed further. Leadership is not something to be archived and admired from a distance. Leadership exists to be deployed when the stakes are highest.

President Jonathan’s peaceful transfer of power remains one of the most important democratic moments in Nigeria’s modern history. In a continent where incumbents often cling desperately to office, he chose national stability over personal ambition. That singular act gave him international credibility that remains intact today. Combined with his relative distance from the bitterness, vendettas and factional warfare dominating current politics, it places him in a uniquely stabilizing position.

A Jonathan candidacy would not simply be about politics. It would represent an attempt to calm national tensions, restore institutional confidence and reset the tone of governance and public engagement.

Running for office again would not diminish his dignity. It could very well become the highest expression of it.

History rarely calls leaders at convenient moments. It calls them when nations are vulnerable, divided and uncertain of their future. If the Nigerian people genuinely believe he still has a role to play in preventing further national decline, then answering that call becomes not merely a political choice, but a patriotic obligation.

The rescue mission cannot wait for a more comfortable or more dignified season.

Run, Jonathan, Run.

Josh S. Uwa writes from Abuja.