The All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied plans to field former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate come 2023.
Rumours of the party’s alleged plans became rife on social media following some of the party leaders’ visit to the former President when he turned a year older last November.
Reacting to the rumour in an interview with BBC Hausa, the Yobe State Governor and Chairman of the APC Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni said “Those peddling such information are afraid. But for now, there is nothing in the APC which has anything to do with the aspiration for 2023. Even if someone wants to base assumption on our recent visit to him during his birthday, we were there because of his capacity as a former President of Nigeria. We must give credit to former President Jonathan on the issue of peace – how he accepted defeat in 2015 and resigned to fate. That has qualified him to be a statesman and he is now among our fathers. Our visit to Jonathan was pronounced because of his status as a former President. That could be why some may think there was something beneath. There are numerous such visits to leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), APC. Why are others not being mentioned? Even in America where we got this democracy, I have not seen where people are being confined to a limit. You are talking of democracy and at the same time talking of giving him a ticket. Don’t forget even when President Buhari went to revalidate party membership in Daura, he said it is the people at the grassroots that will select leaders upwards, that no one should expect to be crowned from Abuja. This has shown that in APC now, it is from the lower level upwards, not that people would be imposed from the top. Who are we to say we are considering Jonathan? How? It has to be a party affair and once it is a party affair, then, we are talking about the people. So, we have nothing like that on our agenda. What we have now, and is of importance to us, is to ensure peace amongst party members. Also, to bring members of other political parties, whichever party it might be, whoever wants, should come into the APC. This is our plan for now. We are yet to start talking about aspirants; we are not in any discussion about aspirants.”