Former President Goodluck Jonathan ie reportdly demanding the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress as a condition to join the ruling party.
The Punch reports that anything short of this would not be acceptable to Jonathan who served as deputy governor, governor, Vice-President and President on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party from 1999 and 2015.
Recall that some northern emirs had in February reached out to the former President, urging him to contest. Mr. Jonathan had also stayed away from activities of the PDP, including the last national convention.
Also on Thursday, posters of the ex-President flooded the national secretariat of the APC on Blantyre Street, Wuse 2. Abuja. While on Friday, youth and women groups demonstrated outside of Jonathan’s office in the Maitama area of Abuja, begging him to jjoin the presidential race.
Responding, Jonathan said he was not sure if he would run, but asked them to ‘watch out’.
He said, “Yes you are calling me to come and declare for the next election, I cannot tell if I’m declaring. The political process is ongoing just watch out. The key role you must play is that Nigeria must get somebody that will carry young people along.”
However, a top source in the APC told The Punch that the former President was seeking an assurance that he would be handed the party’s Presidential ticket.
The APC chieftain, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Jonathan has already been President before. So, the APC cannot offer him anything except the Presidential ticket. Imagine him contesting against Osinbajo and Tinubu and losing? Wouldn’t that be disgraceful?
“So, he has made his position clear. If he is to come to the APC, he must be given the assurance that he will be given the party’s ticket. That is his demand.”
The source added that the former President may be sold as a “compromise candidate” amid the raging zoning debate in the country.
“Jonathan is the only Nigerian alive that can promise to serve only one Presidential term and abide by it because he is limited by the constitution. If he serves one term, then power returns to the North. It is also not an easy decision but I can assure you that President Buhari will have no qualms with a Jonathan Presidency,” he added.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the APC National Working Committee would give special waivers to select aspirants based on the powers conferred on it by the National Executive Committee.
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