9news Nigeria had earlier reported the deal on the table for former President Goodluck Jonathan to run for President in 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
9news Nigeria learned that some Northern decision-makers have already promised the former President the APC Presidential ticket without having to go through the arduous primaries process.
Even though Jonathan hadn’t made up his mind at the time, the offer was on the table for him to consider, as high-ranking members of the APC considered it as the best way to end Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ambition.
In response to demonstrators who recently invaded his Abuja office and demanded that he run for President in 2023, Goodluck Jonathan stated he was still consulting and had not made up his mind.
Meanwhile, 9news Nigeria learned that key figures in the All Progressives Congress, including some influential Northern governors, are doing everything they can to ensure Jonathan’s name appears on the party’s ballot during the next election, including allegedly sponsoring the above-mentioned protest and allegedly buying his Presidential nomination and expression of interest form days ago.
This medium has also learned that party leaders, including some northern governors, have already reached out to other members of the National Working Committee to ensure Jonathan’s adoption as the consensus candidate, and this topic dominated the conversation when Jonathan paid a visit to APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu in Abuja on Monday night.
The Governors have also begun reaching out to some of the contestants to withdraw from the race to enable a smooth sail for Jonathan; so far, we learnt that the moves are already yielding results.
Jonathan has changed the game amid outrage
With Jonathan in the picture, some other contenders have expressed outrage, claiming that the plan would be unjust if it followed through.
For fear of the backlash and opposition he could face from already existing members of the party if he runs on the APC ticket, Jonathan is said to have asked for an open endorsement from President Muhammadu Buhari, which would provide him with a smooth ride through the process.
As of the time of filing this report, 9news Nigeria cannot confirm whether Jonathan’s demands will be met, but a source at the meeting said, “The former president would not be available for the screening because he won’t be in the country for two weeks because he is going to Dakar, Senegal for the ‘Dialogue on sustaining democratic principles in the ECOWAS sub-region organized by the West African Elders Forum.”
Only a few days ago, the Nomadic Herders and Almajiris obtained the APC N100 million nomination form for the former President.
Jonathan, however, denounced the organization in a statement issued by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, claiming he did not authorize any organization to get the form on his behalf.
It remains to be seen where the build-up to 2023 will take us, but there are certainly more intrigues in the works.
9news Nigeria
