News Editor
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to the purported purchase of the N100 million APC expression of interest and nomination forms by a northern group, asking him to throw his hat into the ring for the presidency.
TMSnews reports that a Fulani group on Monday purchased the 2023 presidential form for the ECOWAS Special Envoy, calling on him to join the 2023 presidential race.
In a statement issued by Ikechukwu Eze, his media Adviser, Jonathan said the forms were purchased without his consent, an action he deemed insulting to his person. He said should he decide to join the presidential race, “he would make himself clear to the public and will not enter through the back door.”
The statement reads in parts;
“It has come to our notice that a group has purportedly purchased Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, of the All Progressives Congress APC, in the name of former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
We wish to categorically state that Dr. Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorize it.
“We want to state that if the former President wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door.
“While we appreciate the overwhelming request by a cross-section of Nigerians, for Dr. Jonathan to make himself available for the 2023 Presidential election, we wish to state, that he has not in anyway, committed himself to this request. Buying a presidential aspiration form in the name Dr. Jonathan without his consent, knowing the position he had held in this country, is considered an insult to his person.
“The general public is therefore advised to disregard it.”
It would be recalled that in April, a crowd of protesters gathered at Jonathan’s office in Abuja, calling on him to join the presidential race. The ex president who was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 while addressing the calls for him to contest in April, had told a crowd of supporters to “watch out”.
