By James Orji
After weeks of speculations, former President Goodluck Jonathan has secretly joined the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC the magazine has learnt.
The former pediment who is currently out of the country has been rumoured to be interested in contesting the presidential election next year. The last time he spoke on the issue, the former president told his teeming supporters who had stormed his Abuja home to lure him into the presidential race told them to “watch out” for his next moves.
Days after, a proxy group obtained the APC presidential nomination form for him. Jonathan however denied contracting any group to obtain the form on his behalf.
In a statement issued by Ikechukwu Eze, his media aide, the former leader said the group which obtained the form for Jonathan did not seek his consent to do so.
Jonathan, who lost the pesidency to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, and has not been attending the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP meetings lately would later the same day, met with APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, raising more suggestions that he has finally joined the ruling party.
But quoting sources close to the former pesident, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN claimed that Jonathan has registered with the APC at his ward in Otuoke his country home in Bayelsa state.
The source also reportedly claimed that Jonathan is expected to submit the presidential nomination form on Thursday.
Recall that the party had earlier fixed the date of submission of nomination forms for Tuesday this week, but later moved it to Friday, as top sources in the party say the postponement was to enable Jonathan meet the deadline.
NAN quoted the source to have said, “Several bigwigs of the party have also been calling Jonathan to pledge their loyalty and support to the former president,” the source was quoted as saying.
“At least three top African leaders called the former president on the matter. They all urged him to run.
“One of them specifically told him that it didn’t make sense travelling all over Africa settling disputes only to shy away from leadership responsibility in his home country.
“Another reminded him of the implication of failing to put the experiences he garnered as a former Nigerian president and as a continental statesman to good use.”
Meanwhile, the magazine learnt that Jonathan who was yesterday appointed to the international advisory board of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East, ECAM Council is billed to return to the country by the weekend.
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