Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's surprise evening call on African Democratic Congress Chairman David Mark at his home on Thursday has set tongues wagging about a possible 2027 bid, mere hours after the party's inaugural caucus locked in ADC as the opposition's flagship platform against President Bola Tinubu.

The closed-door huddle, shrouded in secrecy, underscores Jonathan's deepening ties to the ADC fold, where PDP defectors and fresh faces like ex-VP Atiku Abubakar and Labour's Peter Obi are circling for a unified front.

Mark, Senate President during Jonathan's 2010-2015 tenure, helmed the "doctrine of necessity" that smoothed his ascent amid Umaru Yar'Adua's illness, forging a bond now eyed as a launchpad for Jonathan's single-eligible term comeback.

PDP loyalists have ramped up the pitch for Jonathan's return, touting his steady hand against Tinubu's reforms, though the ex-leader—defeated by Muhammadu Buhari in 2015—has stayed mum on ambitions.

The ADC caucus, buzzing with heavyweights, greenlit primaries and quashed rival rifts, positioning the outfit as the anti-incumbent spearhead. As whispers grow, Jonathan's move hints at strategic scouting in a fractured opposition landscape, where alliances could crown or crater the next Villa race.