Some APC presidential aspirants are angry over moves to draft Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s consensus presidential candidate.
It was gathered that some top members of All Progressive Congress (APC) leadership are trying to adopt the Former President, Goodluck Jonathan as their consensus candidate, and this formed part of the discussions between Goodluck Jonathan and the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu on Monday night.
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The report has it that, the moves to pick Goodluck Jonathan as the consensus candidate are being orchestrated by party leaders, including two northern governors.
It was also gathered that these moves have reportedly resulted in anger among other contestants who feel it would amount to injustice if the former President is given a free run.
A source, who was privy to the meeting between Jonathan and Adamu, said the former president had inform the APC Chairman of his interest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The source stated,
“He fears the backlash and the opposition he will meet from members who are already in the race. He is still insisting on consensus so that he will not face the rigour of indirect primaries.
“Already, his backers, including the national chairman have started working on the consensus arrangement. They have reached out to the few presidential aspirants from the North who will readily step down for Jonathan.”
Another source said,
“Jonathan’s meeting with the APC chairman went well. He sought the party leadership’s support for his candidacy and also demanded assurances that he would be exempted from the mandatory screening and other stringent conditions in the form.
“He would not be available for the screening because he won’t be in the country for two weeks as he is going to Dakar, Senegal for the ‘Dialogue on sustaining democratic principles in the ECOWAS sub-region organised by the West African Elders Forum.’”
Naija News recalls that reports had emerged last month claiming that Goodluck Jonathan had stated some conditions for his backers in the APC before he could join the party’s presidential race.
It was stated that one of such conditions includes an open endorsement of his presidential ambition by President Buhari.
Goodluck Jonathan has also insisted that he should not be allowed to go through the party primaries with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the national leader of the APC; the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha and the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.
Recall that a Northern group had purchased the Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for the former leader Good der the umbrella of the ruling party.
But in a statement by his spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, it was gathered that Goodluck Jonathan had denied joining the 2023 presidential race.
Goodluck Jonathan stated that if he decides to join the contest to succeed Buhari he won’t do so from the ‘back door
This article was originally published on Nigeria News