Ekeomah Atuonwu
Former Nigerian President turned global Peace Ambassador, Goodluck Jonathan, has rejected the presidential form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) purchased for him by a group of his northern supporters on Monday, May 9, 2022.
After the group’s gesture made headlines, Jonathan’s Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, issued a statement saying that Jonathan did not authorize the purchase of the form and considers the group’s act an “insult.”
“We wish to categorically state that Dr. Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorize it,” the statement read in part.
“We want to state that if the former President wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door.”
It is common for Nigerian politicians to switch sides during elections, but it would have been a surprising about-turn if the APC had decided to embrace a candidate it once derided as incompetent when he was president.
There has been increased speculation in recent months about whether the former President will run for his old post in the 2023 general elections, and there have been calls for him to do so.
Although he is not a member of the ruling party, APC, rumours have grown in recent weeks, with many conversations implying that the global peace ambassador may abandon his party, the People’s Democratic Party, in order to run for President in 2023.
However, the former President is yet to state whether or not he will run for office. He has also mentioned the possibility of switching parties. The APC had set a price of N100 million ($240,844.10) for their presidential nomination form.
Members of the Fulani group, carrying placards with messages of support for Jonathan, insisted that the former president is the most qualified person to succeed current President Muhammadu Buhari.
Although Jonathan has rejected the northern group’s free forms, he has remained silent on his plans for the upcoming presidential elections in 2023.
