On Sunday a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Garus Gololo, warned former Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan against contesting the 2023 presidential election.
Though Gololo admitted that it would be the turn of the South to produce the next President, but he said it would certainly not favour Jonathan as it is no longer for South-South region.
Gololo, while speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, said it would be foolhardy for Jonathan to think he could still win any election in Nigeria.
Some northern groups and associates of Jonathan in the South, according to Sunday’s Nation newspaper edition, had reportedly met in Abuja, while considering drafting the Bayelsa-born politician to gun for 2023 Presidency.
Their calculation is that, the Presidency can return to the North in 2027 since Jonathan, if he wins in 2023, will be ineligible to contest again.
But Gololo, while reacting to questions, said such calculation was evil and selfish.
He said, “I’m from the North and I want to say it emphatically that power should return to the South in 2023 for eight years.
“Northerners are not the only Nigerians in this country. I can’t support such evil and selfish permutations. And for Jonathan, he should rather go and rest. If he dares to contest, we shall do to him what we did in 2015”.
Dr. Gololo also warned the former President to be weary of some political jobbers who may be muting the idea of drafting him into the contest.
He said, “there is nothing wrong in asking someone to come out to contest, but what makes the difference is the votes. The votes shall decide who becomes the next President and if PDP like, let them give it to Jonathan, same fate shall repeat itself, like in 2015”.
When asked which region should produce the next President from the South and if he had anyone in mind, the national APC Chieftain said there are many other capable hands in the South that can deliver.
“It must not be Jonathan. He was there before and we all know what happened then. Let’s try fresh people who have capacity. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is there. He has enough capacity.
“I would even prefer PDP giving it to Jonathan so we all mobilise and team up for Tinubu in APC and Jonathan’s defeat will shock him, like Donald Trump. We are wise now and this country is bigger than any individual”, Gololo added.
