Ex-Nigeria’s Prez Goodluck Jonathan rejects nomination to contest 2023 election
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will not seek the ruling party ticket to contest presidential elections next year, his spokesman said.
This follows months of speculation that he was planning to return to national politics.
According to reports, a group of supporters from northern Nigeria bought nomination forms for Jonathan to take part in the ruling All Progressives Congress party (APC) primary elections scheduled for the end of the month,
In a statement on Monday cited by Reuters, Jonathan’s spokesman Ikechukwu Eze said the former president did not authorise the purchase of the nomination forms, a requirement for candidates to take part in primary elections.
“While we appreciate the overwhelming request…we wish to state that he has not in any way, committed himself to this request,” Eze said.
“We wish to categorically state that Dr Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorise it.”
With President Muhammadu Buhari due to step down next year after serving two full terms, the race to succeed him is wide open.
So far, over 20 ruling party candidates have registered to contest the primary vote.
Registration is expected to end on Tuesday and a party committee will screen the candidates, who include vice president Yemi Osinbajo, former Lagos state governor and party heavyweight Bola Tinubu, minister of petroleum Timipre Sylva and several government ministers and state governors.
There is a good reason why you should support the African Editors. Not everyone can afford to pay for news right now. That is why we keep our journalism open for everyone to read, including in Ghana. If this is you, please continue to read for free. But if you are able to, then there are three good reasons to support us today.
1. Our quality, journalism is a scrutinising force at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner pulling the strings, so your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
Help power the African Editors' journalism for the years to come, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just 1 Ghana Cedi through mobile money number: 0599896099/ +23359989609 and you can be rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
