2023: APC coalition protests alleged imposition of Jonathan as presidential candidate

A pressure group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of APC North-South Patriotic Coalition (ANSPAC) has staged a protest at the national secretariat of the party over what it called the planned imposition of former President Goodluck Jonathan as party’s presidential candidate.

The protesters who besieged the Buhari’s House (APC secretariat) in Abuja on Thursday who carried several anti-Jonathan’s placards, warned that they would lose if it imposed Jonathan as presidential candidate.

Toyin Rahim, ANSPAC spokesperson in a protest letter addressed to the Abdullahi Adamu, APC National Chairman said the rumour has been around for some time that the former president was being wooed by some power brokers within the APC to join the party and fly its presidential ticket for the 2023 election.

Rahim said the Jonathan project cannot fly because it cannot help the party, warning against “falling victim of ill-advised and action that can push the party out of power.

“One of the most telling negative implications of such an action is that the APC does not have anyone of electoral value who can win election for us except we smuggle in a former president we defeated seven years ago for his glaring incompetence as president.

“In APC today there are presidential aspirants with credible pedigrees and humongous electoral value and CBPaCity. It is not only unnecessary to smuggle Jonathan into our great party, it is also self-indicting and meaning that our party’s performance in office has been worse than an administration that Nigerians thoroughly rejected and voted for APC in 2015.

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“It will also be an indictment against His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari by making Nigerians believe that we lied to them when we said Jonathan performed woefully and that our dear President Muhammadu Buhari would do better. Are we now saying we lied to Nigerians and that we have now discovered that Jonathan was much better and that he should return to continue his good works that nobody can see?”

While demanding a categorical statement from Adamu led NWC, the group said: “Those who are masterminding this project do not have the interest of the party at heart and certainly do not love Nigeria.

“What sense is in anyone bringing back someone we announced to the whole world that he was a failure and rejected by the overwhelming numbers of Nigerians and then we go back to start romancing him and make him our presidential flag bearer? That’s a self-inflicted disaster.

“We demand an immediate categorical statement from the party’s leadership that such a project to import and impose former president Goodluck Jonathan as APC’s presidential candidate is not being contemplated. This demand represents the overwhelming majority of opinions in the party across board nationwide.”