The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the party was planning to field former President Goodluck Jonathan as its 2023 Presidential Candidate.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that last week’s visit to Mr Jonathan by some Northern APC governors gave rise to these speculations.
But the Interim Committee Chairman of the party, Governor Mai Mala-Buni, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday, dismissed the insinuation.
According to him, there was no truth in the reports, saying those peddling such information are cowards.
He said: “Those peddling such information are afraid. But for now, there is nothing in the APC which has anything to do with the aspiration for 2023.
“Even if someone wants to base assumption on our recent visit to him during his birthday, we were there because of his status as a former president of Nigeria.
“Again, even when we are talking of peaceful coexistence, we must give credit to former President Jonathan on the issue of peace.
“How he accepted defeat in 2015 and resigned to fate. That has qualified him to be a statesman and he is now among our fathers.”
Governor Buni said it is customary to visit one another and exchange pleasantries.
“Our visit to Jonathan was because of his status as a former president, that could be why some may think there was something beneath.
“There are numerous of such visits, to leaders of PDP, APC, why are others not being mentioned but Jonathan?”
When asked whether the APC would welcome Jonathan if he eventually indicates interest, Buni said that would be a new discussion entirely.
He said: “Even in America where we got this democracy, I’ve not seen where people are being confined to a limit.”
