2023: Anxiety over Buhari's alleged push for Jonathan as APC consensus candidate

By Tunde Opalana

.Screening holds today as President meets aspirants, governors tomorrow

Tension and anger pervade the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as anxiety continues to mount over what process will lead to the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate for 2023.

Aspirants and party members were thrown into confusion when on Sunday, its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement, announced the sudden suspension barely 24 hours to the Monday 23 scheduled screening.

Stakeholders wondered what game the party leadership was up to have shifted screening six days before the May 29 convention.

Though the screening will eventually take place today at the APC national secretariat, a reliable source said the party is still exploring options to arrive at producing a consensus candidate that will be acceptable to aspirants and zonal interests.

However, the name of former President, Goodluck Jonathan was thrown up again at the weekend as a possible preferred candidate.

Apprehension over Jonathan’s interest in the race died down at the closure of submission of APC presidential nomination forms a week ago when he was not listed among those that returned completed expression of interest and nomination forms.

The former leader also issued a statement through his side to deny contesting. So, he definitely cannot participate in today’s screening exercise.

But it was learnt that the former president secretly submitted his presidential expression of interest and nomination forms.

Prior to rescheduling today’s screening exercise, a meeting had been scheduled between President Buhari, presidential aspirants, APC governors and a few other stakeholders on the way forward ahead of the national convention.

Feelers ahead of Wednesday’s meeting at the State House had hinted that Buhari, who has been keeping the name of his preferred successor to his chest, may inform the gathering and seek approval of a consensus candidate.

Unconfirmed sources said the President and his kitchen cabinet are more emphatic about handing over to Jonathan.

Buhari’s proposal, it was also gathered, is gaining the buying in of some northern stakeholders who are plotting return of power to the north immediately after an envisaged four year single term by Jonathan.

The source added that every dark area concerning the Jonathan proposal has been carefully sorted out as the proponents suggested an express waiver for Jonathan to be admitted into the party.

This, it was learnt, might not be in connection to Jonathan’s rumoured request at a meeting held with APC national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu that he will be coming into the party as a candidate and not aspirant, asking that he should be spared processes leading to emergence of a candidate.

Oblivious of the possible backlash of the alleged plot to give Jonathan APC ticket, the party leadership are said to be prepared to pacify aggrieved aspirants not to dump the party but rally round whoever emerged.

The DailyTimes recalls that the party made it compulsory for all aspirants to sign a withdrawal letter.

Though the development is scary and suspicious, it might be one of the carefully knighted plans to sail through with consensus arrangement.

A former member of APC, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso though deriding the party, also confirmed Jonathan’s rumoured option.

The former governor of Kano State, who is now national leader and presidential aspirant of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) at the weekend in Kano, described the APC as a confused party to have been considering Jonathan, from whom the party took power in 2015.

Kwankwaso had said: “Today the leaders of the APC are so confused to the extent that they completely believe that no one among them can salvage the nation but the same Jonathan they sacked and took over power from him on account that the country has drifted.”

It is believed that the outcome of today’s screening exercise will shed light on the direction in which the APC presidential ticket will go.