Peter Obi and Goodluck Jonathan. Photo Source: Vanguard Newspaper
Claim: A viral video claims former President Goodluck Jonathan has endorsed Peter Obi for the 2027 presidential election.
Full Text
As political activities ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election begin to gather momentum, misinformation targeting prominent political figures has continued to spread across social media platforms.
On April 28, 2026, a Facebook page, Noonooagu, shared a Reel featuring a collage of former President Goodluck Jonathan and Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.
The video was overlaid with the text: “2027 GOODLUCK JONATHAN BACKS PETER OBI.”
Screenshot of the claim on Facebook
The images collaged with the video show the two politicians smiling and shaking hands, creating the impression that Jonathan had publicly endorsed Obi.
As of May 19, 2026, the post had garnered over 5,400 views, 101 likes, 28 comments and 20 shares. While some users celebrated the alleged endorsement, others questioned the timing and authenticity of the claim.
Similar versions of the video have also circulated across WhatsApp groups, pushing the narrative that Obi has secured Jonathan’s backing ahead of the 2027 election.
Similar claims can be found here, here and here.
Given Jonathan’s influence as a former Nigerian president and international statesman, we conducted a fact-check to verify the claim.
Verification
A reverse image search conducted on keyframes from the video showed that the footage was old and not connected to the 2027 election.
The original video was traced to Channels Television’s YouTube page, where it was published on December 24, 2022. The footage showed Peter Obi visiting Goodluck Jonathan at his residence in Abuja ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Screenshot of the description of the original video on Channels TV’s YouTube page.
Although Jonathan commended Obi’s role in Nigeria’s political landscape during the meeting, he did not endorse him for president.
Findings showed that the viral clip was edited from the 2022 footage and digitally altered with the inscription, “2027: GOODLUCK JONATHAN BACKS PETER OBI,” to create the false impression that the endorsement was recent.
Further checks showed that Jonathan recently met with Obi and other political figures behind closed doors on April 27, 2026. However, Obi clarified that the meeting was for consultation purposes and not an endorsement.
We also searched for any recent statement or press release from Goodluck Jonathan or his spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, announcing support for Obi’s 2027 ambition. No such statement was found.
Conclusion
The claim that Goodluck Jonathan has endorsed Peter Obi for the 2027 presidential election is FALSE. The viral video currently circulating online was recycled from footage recorded in 2022 when Peter Obi visited Jonathan ahead of the 2023 general election. There is no credible evidence or official statement showing that Goodluck Jonathan has endorsed Peter Obi for the 2027 race.
