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.Party plotting to embarrass Jonathan, Adeyanju alleges.
. Ex-president must support Igbo presidency, Ohanaeze insists.
Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, insinuations are rife that President Muhammadu Buhari is secretly wooing his predecessor in office, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
But the Progressive Governors Forum ,a forum of governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress has warned former president Jonathan not to allow himself to be persuaded to leaving the Peopled democratic Party PDP for APC for the purpose of running 2023 presidential election.
They affirmed that such move will be counter -productive in reducing his stature as an elder stateman
The Director General of PDF, Salihu Lukman who stated this against the backdrop of speculation of defection of Jonathan to APC, said not party should allow the former president to diminish his stature in running for any election in Nigeria.
They called on Nigerians to have deliberate policies that protects its leaders.
Jonathan, it would be recalled, conceded defeat while official results of the 2015 presidential elections were yet to be announced; a development that fetched him national and global acclaim.
After a few months of throwing jibes at each other, particularly on how PDP allegedly mismanaged the affairs of the nation while in power, Buhari appeared to have made up with Jonathan.
The two have been regularly meeting at the Aso Rock Villa behind close doors.
To further fueled the rumours, Buhari would time and again showered praises on Jonathan, saying his decision to throw in the towel saved the nation’s democracy.
Although Jonathan is yet to address the speculations of his flirtation with the APC, Southern leaders have taken turn to counsel him against the move.
However, an activist, Deji Adeyanju has revealed how the All Progressives Congress party, APC, plans to embarrass former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2023.
Adeyanju claimed that the APC is planning to deceive Jonathan with its presidential ticket and then embarrass him.
In a series of tweets, the rights activist disclosed that APC has planned not to give Jonathan its presidential ticket after tricking him into joining them.
Adeyanju urged the former president to quit partisan politics and remain a democrat for the sake of his image.
“I have been reliably informed that they are plotting to embarrass Goodluck Jonathan by deceiving him to join APC.
“They will never give him the presidential ticket. It’s a good strategy I must admit to sell APC by tricking GEJ to join the party.
“GEJ should quit partisan politics and maintain his profile as a respected African statesman & democrat to avoid disrespect,” he wrote.
Meanwhile ,the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said that the Igbo spirit will be against former President Goodluck Jonathan if he fails to support the realisation of a president of Igbo extraction in 2023.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, in an interview with one of our correspondents in Enugu, said that the suffering Ndigbo were going through under the regime of President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) was because of the support Igbo gave Jonathan.
Ogbonnia was asked to comment on a report (not in The PUNCH) that Jonathan on December 27 met South-South leaders coordinating his alleged plan to contest the 2023 presidency.
According to the report, the meeting was held at Aridolf Hotels and Spars, Yenagoa.
There have been reports that some northern All Progressives Congress governors were plotting Jonathan’s return to Presidency to assuage the South and enable the North to return to power after four years.
Commenting on the development, Ohanaeze Ndigbo spokesman stated, “The Igbo position on Jonathan’s (alleged) presidential ambition in 2023 is that the Igbo spirit will be against him, the totality of Igbo spirit will be against him and he should realise it.
“Because he is expected to support the Igbo; a form of spiritual reciprocity, to reciprocate the Igbo kind gesture towards him.”
He disclosed that whatever Igbo suffered under the regime of President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) was because of Jonathan.
He added, “Whatever you see the Igbo suffered under President Buhari was as a result of the support we gave Jonathan. He should realise it. That is the Ohanaeze Ndigbo position and by extension Igbo position.”
Group says South-South has one tenure left, explains visit to Jonathan
A group, the South-South Presidency in 2023, faulted a report that Jonathan had accepted to contest the 2023 presidency.
The group, however, says it will ensure that any political party that presents a candidate from the zone as vice president will not get the support of the people there.
Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, who is the National Chairman of the group and political associate of Jonathan stated this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Monday.
He debunked reports that Jonathan had accepted to run for the presidency next year.
He stated, “I have just seen a publication credited to the group, saying that the former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has accepted to run for the presidency. That is not correct. We will be happy. Anybody who wants to run for the presidency from South-South, we will be very happy about it.
“ When it has not happened and people want to put the record in a wrong way that is not good,” Ikiogha stated.
He said the group was consolidating its stand by trying to mobilise and enlighten the South-South on the need to produce the next President, saying the members also visited Jonathan recently.
“So we have been visiting people, making consultations here and there and visiting people, Just as we visited any other people or aspirants or suspected aspirants, we also visited him (Jonathan). And he cannot of course push us out. He is the father of South-South politics today.
“Obasanjo (former President Olusegun…) called him recently, his colleague. So if we want to take a major decision that concerns the South-South, there is no way we cannot meet him and sell our idea to him, which we did.
“That is the stand of the South-South Presidency in 2023. That it is our turn to present the next President. We want to complete our tenure. We have one tenure left.
“If we are going to be united and move ahead, move together in this country, whether we are minority or not, we should be given a chance to complete our tenure before we can call ourselves brothers.”
Asked if the group had begun moves to reconcile Jonathan and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, he said it was not a major concern of the association, saying “They should decide to reconcile each other.
“What we are saying is that if anybody among them, just accept to become vice-president and become this or that and not the President. We will not be happy with that person.
“We have told them that nobody should accept the chairmanship of a party or a vice-presidential candidate of a party. So if anybody wants to come out, we have the political know-how to run that political party down.” ,,
