By Suleiman Anyalewechi
A South-south political leader has cautioned former President Goodluck Jonathan against succumbing to the temptations of going against the grain of popular opinion by accepting to contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 Presidential Election.
The National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, South South region, Victor Giadom, insisted that much as Jonathan reserves the right to contest, he will not enjoy the support of the region which he said has decided to queue behind President Tinubu in his bid for a second term in office.
The Source reports that President Tinubu was one of the arrowheads of the plot that ousted Jonathan from office in 2015, thereby denying him and the South-south the chance for a second tenure.
According to Giadom, the former President, who is a prominent son of the South-south, will not enjoy the support of the Region’s political leaders.
Talks about the former President contesting the 2027 Presidential polls have continued to dominate both conventional and social media space in recent times with sundry groups, particularly, from the Northern part of the country, leading the clamour for his return.
The opposition parties, especially the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, and the African Democratic Congress, are, also, said to be wooing the Bayelsa State born former President.
However, the APC National Vice Chairman who spoke from his Gokana Local Council of Rivers State with The Punch, insisted that political leaders, major stakeholders and overwhelming majority of the people have resolved to firmly pursue the re-election bid of President Tinubu come 2027.
“It is optional and up to anybody to decide what he wants to do, and what he doesn’t want to.
” Former President Goodluck Jonathan is free to join the Presidential race, but for us as the political leaders of this place (South South region), we have taken our position, and our decision is to support President Tinubu in 2027.
“We, the South- south Region have concrete reasons for doing that. Look at the East-West Road , especially the Eleme section, which has been crying for help for decades, now, quality construction work has gone far.
“The Bodo-Bonny Road is, almost, 90 percent completed. You can drive from Mogo Junction ( in Ogoni) to Bonny in less than 22 minutes when final work is completed. Look at what HYREP is doing in Ogoni land”, the APC National Vice Chairman stated.
He emphasized that going by the massive transformation of the region by the APC-led Federal Government, President Tinubu deserves to be supported by the people of the Zone.
“The progress recorded under the President Tinubu administration in the region represents a huge difference in governance, so the people must applaud and support him
“I know that this is very fertile ground for the All Progressive Congress; very fertile for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we know that delivering him in the South South has already been accomplished”, Giadom asserted .
His position is coming on the heels of that of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, who last week advised against the former President and his erstwhile benefactor, succumbing to pressures to come out of political retirement.
Wike is an acclaimed supporter, and promoter of the second term ambition of President Tinubu who compensated him with the FCT Ministerial job, for helping him in not only scuttling the ambition of the 2023 presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, but is also assisting in holding down the PDP from posing a threat to the President’s re-election bid in 2027.
For the records, however, Giadom was not speaking for the South-south Leaders, but on his own behalf and that of the South-south APC members and supporters.
Meanwhile, Jonathan has neither confirmed nor denied interest in the 2027 Presidential election. He is watching in studied silence.
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