Reports have come in relating to the Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan’s purchase of an APC nomination form. This is possibly the result of some northern emirs reaching out to Jonathan in February and asking him to contest. Furthermore, it was uncovered that it was not the former president himself that had purchased the form, but rather a coalition of Fulani elites and Almajiri groups.
For a long while, there had been rumors swirling about whether or not he would decide to join the 2023 presidential race, yet many Nigerians were surprised when the news broke and expressed even more shock that he would be placing his bets at the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party that had famously broken the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s uncontested reign on the country and ousted him from office.
The primaries are expected to be held later this month in May to meet up with the electoral commission’s firm deadline of June 3rd for the submission of candidates for the 2023 elections. Jonathan would be vying for the ticket with such persons as the current Vice-President, Yemi Osibanjo, the former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, and the Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi.
However, commentators have pointed out that even if Jonathan ends up winning the elections, he would only be able to serve one term, a move that many have described as a plot to hand over power back to the northern regions of the country. Others have also cast suspicions on the former president’s decision to decamp from his previous party PDP with his defenders citing feelings of betrayal from his fellow party members.
