Jonathan demands automatic presidential candidacy to join APC

Former Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, will join the All Progressives Congress (APC) if President Muhammadu Buhari endorsed him as the party’s automatic presidential candidate, according to a report by Saturday PUNCH.

The medium reported that some northern emirs had reached out to the former President, asking him to contest, while he had so far stayed away from activities of the party through which he became president, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the last national convention.

Former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State had also stated that it was unlikely that Jonathan was still a member of the PDP as he was no longer involved in the party’s activities.

On Thursday, however, posters of the ex-President flooded the national secretariat of the APC on Blantyre Street, Wuse 2.

The medium quoted a top source in the APC to have said that the former president was seeking an assurance that he would be handed the party’s presidential ticket.

The source said “Jonathan has already been president before. So, the APC cannot offer him anything except the presidential ticket. Imagine him contesting against Osinbajo and Tinubu and losing? Wouldn’t that be disgraceful?

“So, he has made his position clear. If he is to come to the APC, he must be given the assurance that he will be given the party’s ticket. That is his demand.”

The source added that the former president may be sold as a “compromise candidate” amid the raging zoning debate in the country.

“Jonathan is the only Nigerian alive that can promise to serve only one presidential term and abide by it because he is limited by the constitution. If he serves one term, then power returns to the North. It is also not an easy decision but I can assure you that President Buhari will have no qualms with a Jonathan presidency,” he added.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the APC National Working Committee would give special waivers to select aspirants based on the powers conferred on it by the National Executive Committee.

Section 31.3 of the new APC constitution titled ‘waiver’, reads in part, “Subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee may, in special circumstances, grant a waiver to a person seeking a national party office, who is otherwise not qualified under this constitution if, in its opinion, such a waiver is in the best interest of the party.

“Subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee may, in special circumstances, grant a waiver to a person seeking the office of President, Vice President, governor, deputy governor, senator, member of the House Representatives, who is otherwise not qualified under this constitution if, in its opinion, such a waiver is in the best interest of the party.”