Consensus: Jonathan Favoured As APC Binds Aspirants With Oath

Strong indications have emerged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will pick its presidential candidate for the 2023 polls through consensus with the immediate past president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan being the favourite of the system.

Daily Trust reports that the approach for a consensus is sequel to the rising number of aspirants vying for its ticket ahead of the party’s primary poll slated for May 30, 31 and June 1, 2022. That is also despite the high cost of its expression of interest and nomination forms.

Sources within the party hinted Daily Trust that APC top shots were prevailing on some presidential aspirants to step down to allow room for consensus.

A reliable source at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja who confirmed the development, forwarded a copy of the party’s “Form 18” to be filled by aspirants withdrawing from the race as evidence.

It was hinted that the party instructed the aspirants to fill the Form 18 and submit same to the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, together with their nomination forms.

The Oath That Will Bind Aspirants And Advance Jonathan As APC Consensus Candidate

This, Daily Trust reliably gathered, the party instructed must be done in the presence of a commissioner for oaths.

The source said the signing of the withdrawal letter in the presence of a commissioner for oaths and submission of the letter alongside the nomination form to the party’s helmsman was to ensure that the aspirants had no legal backing in the event that they later changed their minds and decided to go to court.

A member of the APC National Caucus, Chief Sam Nkire, told Daily Trust in a telephone chat that consensus was also a constitutional mode of nominating candidates for election and should be respected if the party decided to adopt it.

He added that, “Some of the presidential aspirants will voluntarily withdraw from the race when the going gets tough.”

Aspirants in the race

The presidential aspirants who have picked their N100m forms are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; National Leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; a former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; a former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; and Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.

Others are Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru; a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Nigeria, Tunde Bakare; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and a female aspirant, Uju Kennedy.

As at the time of filing this report, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Chima Dallas and many others were yet to pick their forms.

APC Extended Deadline To Concretise Talks On Emergence Of Jonathan As Consensus Candidate

The APC had on Wednesday extended the sale of its expression of interest and nomination forms for various categories of aspirants ahead of its primaries by four days.

But top sources told Daily Trust on Thursday that the main aim of the forms sale extension was to gain more time to initiate the process that would usher in former President Goodluck Jonathan into the party.

It was hinted that talks were still going on between some top shots in the APC and Jonathan, trying to woo the ex-president to pitch tent with the ruling party and secure its 2023 presidential ticket after getting a waiver.

It was hinted that the additional four days were added to enable Jonathan take a final position on the matter.

Jonathan was vice president during President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s tenure. But when Yar’adua died in 2010, he rose to the office of president and completed Yar’adua’s tenure. In 2011, he contested election and won, but in 2015, he was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

Some say if he indicates interest and is given the mandate, he will run the country for only four years in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

There are reports that some APC bigwigs are inviting Jonathan so that he can win election, finish his four years and return power to the North in 2027.  

But others still have the feeling that the North is plotting to retain power thereby jettisoning the idea of zoning.

Meanwhile, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Barr Felix Morka, neither answered his calls nor responded to a text message sent to him by our correspondent on the issue.

Source: Daily Trust

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