After Saturday’s successful national convention by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the party’s attention is now focused on the right candidate for the 2023 presidential race.
It is generally assumed that with the emergence of Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman of the party, the APC might zone its presidential ticket to the South ahead of 2023.
There are also reports that the presidency is working assiduously underground to bring in Jonathan as the party’s candidate despite the declaration of Bola Tinubu, David Umahi, Rochas Okorocha and other notable APC aspirants.
According to the Daily Independent, the presidency believes Jonathan has the upper hand because he is a Southerner and also a Christian.
The consideration becomes relevant given the fact that President Buhari is a Muslim from the north.
There are plans to return power to the North as soon as possible considering that Jonathan can only serve one term in office since he had served in 2015.
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Itse Sagay was quoted to have recently stated that APC has plans to pair the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni with Jonathan.
This would give Buni the chance to take over at the end of Jonathan’s one term in office.
A former Minister from the South-South who spoke with Daily Independent on Sunday said with the convention over, the former president is set to take a decision.
He further stated that Jonathan is “technically out of the PDP as of today”.
Sagay said, “Yes, the former president was approached by the leaders of the APC who sold him the idea of running on the party’s platform in 2023. They said they were happy with the manner he handled his defeat in 2015, conceding defeat even before the election results were fully announced without any form of bitterness and the cooperation he has been giving President Buhari. They also said as a true democrat, Nigeria needs him at this moment to unite the country.
“I am aware he (Jonathan) gave them only one condition. And that is if they are ready to make him the consensus presidential candidate of the party. He doesn’t want any acrimony that will arise from contesting the presidential primary at all. That is the only condition I am aware he gave to the APC leaders who are in talks with him”.
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