Deji Adeyanju, an Abuja-based rights activist has cautioned former President Goodluck Jonathan against defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2023 presidential
Adeyanju said APC intends to embarrass Jonathan during its national convention at Eagle Square, in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
In a tweet on Thursday, Adeyanju wrote: “What is Goodluck Jonathan really looking for again? These APC people are extremely dishonest; they might embarrass him at Eagle Square.”
Recall that N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling party were reportedly bought for former President Jonathan by a Fulani group on Monday.
Jonathan denied knowledge of the move.
On the same evening, the former President reportedly paid a visit to the National Chairman of the APC and former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu, at his residence in Abuja.
Sources confirmed that the former President was at Adamu’s residence to seek assurance from the APC before he could decamp from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling party.
Sources privy to their discussions said that although the APC Chairman welcomed the former President to the ruling party, there was absolutely no assurance that he could be handed the party’s presidential ticket.
Meanwhile, Mr Jonathan has finally made up his mind to vie for the top post he lost to the incumbent in 2015.
The source, pleading anonymity, told NAN that the former president has also joined the APC formally, having registered at his Otuoke Ward in Bayelsa.
Mr Jonathan is expected to submit the duly filled forms bought on his behalf on Thursday (Today), the source offered further.
According to the source, the former president has secured the support of the required number of APC delegates from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“Several bigwigs of the party have also been calling Jonathan to pledge their loyalty and support to the former president,’’ the source revealed.
The source told NAN political correspondent late on Wednesday that some influential African leaders had called Mr Jonathan earlier on Monday to advise him “to contest the election in the interest of Nigeria.
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“At least three top African leaders called the former president on the matter. They all urged him to run.
“One of them specifically told him that it didn’t make sense travelling all over Africa settling disputes only to shy away from leadership responsibility in his home country.
“Another reminded him of the implication of failing to put the experiences he garnered as a former Nigerian president and as a continental statesman to good use,” the source added but did not mention the names of the African leaders.
The source cited some of the African leaders as telling Jonathan that Nigeria was passing through challenging times and “needed a unifier like Jonathan at this time’’.
Mr Jonathan, who lost power to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, was born in 1957 in the Ogbia district in Bayelsa State.
He was previously of the PDP party on whose platform he ruled Nigeria until he lost the presidential election to Buhari in 2015.
