President Goodluck Jonathan has lost one of his staunch ally, Afenifere leader Ayo Adebanjo over his rumoured 2023 presidential bid. The former President , last week lend credence to suggestions that he was headed for the APC to actualize his presidential ambition, after he told some supporters in his Abuja office that he’s still ‘consulting’ on whether to throw his hat into the presidential ring next year.
“Yes you are calling me to come and declare for the next election, I cannot tell 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,” the former President said while addressing his supportes undr he aegis of Youth Compatriots of Nigeria.
Adebanjo backed Jonathan throughout his five years presidency and supported him when the former contested against the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The elder Statesman is however one of the prominent Nigerians clamouring for power to be zoned to the south east to promote equity as the region has not produced the president since the return to democracy in 2019.
The Yoruba leader spoke on Monday in Abuja, the nation’s capital at the Greater Nigeria Conference, organized by leaders and friends of the South East geo-political zone, with the theme, “Together we can.”
The Afenifere leader warned the former president not to allow himself to be used by some vested interests in APC who only want to rubbish him
“The unfortunate thing is that President Goodluck Jonathan allowed himself to be disgraced by mentioning the fact that, ‘I’m considering whether to be President’; for what? Who are you consulting?” Adebanjo said.
The meeting was organised for the actualization of Igbo presidency and attended by various socio-political organisations, includinb Afenifere, Pan-Niger Delta Forum and Middle Belt Forum.
On Monday, a political group Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria, CNPD warned the APC to either chose the former President as it’s candidate or be prepared to lose the presidency next year.
“Going critically through the list of presidential aspirants from the two major political parties, we are convinced that all other candidates are regional champions.…therefore, it is imperative that Dr Adamu will use the best man for the job to win this election bearing in mind that anything short of a GEJ ticket will cost APC the presidency in 2023,” CNPD said.
The former President is a member of the PDP but has recently kept a long distance from the party fuelling suggestion that he may have dumped the opposition party in the preparation to defect to the APC to actualize his return to the presidency.
A former Governor of Jigawa state and PDP chieftain recently disclosed that Jonathan has systematically dumped the PDP.
Close associates of the former leader told the magazine that Jonathan has no plan to contest for the president again despite pressure being piled on him by some stalwarts in the APC.
If he eventually declares his run for the president next year under the ruling APC, Jonathan will join other presidential hopefuls such as Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige, former governor Rochas Okorocha, and others who have so far declared their intensions to contest the highest office in the country.
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