2023: Amid Defection Rumours, PGF DG Warns Jonathan Against Contesting for Presidency
- The DG of the APC governors forum, Salihu Lukman says former president Jonathan stands the risk of rubbishing his hard-earned reputation
- Lukman said it will be a gamble for Jonathan to defect to the ruling APC on account of taking another shot at the nation’s topmost job
- There have been speculations that the Bayelsa-born politician is being wooed by the APC ahead of the 2023 elections
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Following speculations that ex-Nigerian leader Goodluck Ebele Jonathan plans to take another shot at the presidential election, the former president has been cautioned against vying for the country's highest seat in 2023.
The Guardian reports that Dr. Salihu Lukman, director-general of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) issued the warning in a piece entitled, “APC’s High-Profile Membership Recruitment and Issues for 2023.”
Lukman on Sunday, September 19, argued that if the alleged bid fails to materialise, the Bayelsa-born politician stands the risk of rubbishing his hard-earned reputation, Daily Trust added.
Though he lauded the ruling party’s poaching of top shots, the PGF DG wondered why Jonathan’s reported move was being identified as an issue of contesting the 2023 presidential election.
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Fondly called GEJ, Jonathan served as Nigeria's president from May 2010 till May 2015 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
PDP speaks on Jonathan's defection rumour
Earlier, PDP reacted to the rumour that Jonathan had defected to the APC. Nigeria's lead opposition party said it had not received any official correspondence from the former Nigerian leader regarding the purported defection.
The PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, was quoted to have made this statement on Wednesday, September 15.
Ologbondiyan admitted that the defection rumour was in circulation but reiterated that the party has not received any official confirmation.
2023: Jonathan not thinking of joining the APC, says PDP sources
In a related development, former president Jonathan is not contemplating joining the governing APC to run on its platform as a presidential candidate in 2023.
Citing a source close to the former president, the report noted that though some APC leaders have been wooing the ex-president, the Bayelsa-born politician would stay back in the PDP.
Also, the acting national chairman of the PDP, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, said the ex-president has assured them that he would not dump the party.
Source: Legit.ng