2023 PRESIDENCY: JONATHAN GIVES CONDITION; SET SEEK INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
by FADAKA LOUIS
24 February 2021
With about 2 years to the next general elections in Nigeria, the plot to draft ex president Goodluck Jonathan to succeed president Muhammadu Buhari is thickening. AIF Media can authoritatively inform our readers and followers that without any distortion to the plans of those behind this 2023 Jonathan presidency, the Otuoke man will return to Aso Rock again.
Those behind the Jonathan 2023 presidency are not leaving any stone unturned. They are determined to impose him on APC where he will serve only 4 years and relinquish power to them.
Jonathan is the only person from south who is constitutionally limited to a single term of 4 years. And that’s the only political umbilical cord between the former president and those pushing for his return.
However, AIF Media investigation reveals that Goodluck Jonathan who is already considering running for 2023 presidential election has agreed to join APC and become the party’s flagbearer under certain conditions.
In one of our previous reports on GEJ 2023 project, we informed our readers that dismantling of all Political Structures loyal to the Lagos State strong man was part of the agenda. That condition is being taking care of, with the ongoing fresh registration of APC members nationwide. Another step was the dissolution of all zonal, state, LGA and ward executives of the party.
However, another though tough condition is how to convince the international community especially the USA to support the 2023 Jonathan presidency. Recall that in 2015, US led other nations to democratically force a regime change in Nigeria. As at 2015, President Joe Biden who just emerged the president of US was the Vice President to President Barrack Obama who supported the removal of Jonathan at the polls
With Biden as US President, there is need to lobby the White House to ensure that the issues which made the Obama/Biden administration to stand against the reelection of president Jonathan in 2015 are resolved.
The White House needs to be convinced why they should support GEJ in 2023 after the Obama/Biden administration of 2015 stood with APC to chase him out of power.
This is the major reason, GEJ is expected to jet out of the country to seek international support. However, a source told AIF Media that Mr Jonathan said he has no fund to hire international lobbyists to woo the White House and her allies to support his return bid and asked that they make fund available to him. He is expected to leave the country soonest on a guise of a diplomatic mission to commence the lobbying.
AIF Media also learned that President Jonathan equally asked that his state governor who is a PDP member be persuaded to join APC. He was said to have told his persuaders that there was no way his state will be under a PDP governor and he will be flying APC presidential ticket.
He specifically asked that Bayelsa and Oyo state governors be appealed to join him in APC.
On the lingering hide and seek attitude of Femi Fani Kayode in defecting to APC, AIF Media gathered that at a meeting in Abuja with some APC leaders, FFK gave two major conditions to defect to the party. He asked that he should be made the National Publicity Secretary of APC at their next convention or be appointed the Campaign Spokesperson to the 2023 Jonathan Presidential Campaign Organization.
But while talks were ongoing on how to convince other APC leaders to consider the conditions given by FFK, he was taken aback with the sudden announcement made by the Kogi state governor, announcing that he had defected to APC.
That announcement got FFK shocked. He was angry that the governor went to announce his defection to APC when the leaders are yet to conclude on his conditions. This has put him in a political dilemma which he has been struggling to wriggle out of.
These are some of the intrigues that’s trailing the Jonathan 2023 presidential project. AIF Media source however said that Bourdillon may no longer contest for president in 2023. Those who vowed to stop him are alleging that he has discrepancies in his age. And this according to the source will cause unnecessary litigations that may bring uncertainty to the party. They will anchor on that allegation to give him gov Godwin Obaseki’s treatment – disqualify him from contesting.
Finally, it is believed that unless all these issues are sorted out, the present National Caretaker Committee of APC will sought an extension of their tenure before a national convention will be convened.
