A grand plot to draft President Goodluck Jonathan into the presidential race has commenced with four All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors from the North leading the charge.
It was gathered a group of 10 politicians from the South, comprising notable figures from Bayelsa, home state of the former President, had been given the mandate to begin a media campaign that would midwife the plan.
The group, led by a chieftain of the APC from Bayelsa and Jonathan’s political ally, was said to have met on two occasions to discuss the modalities of rolling out the campaign.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said the Northern Governors, wanted the South-South to start the campaign while they play a supportive role in convincing the APC to give its ticket to the former President.
The source said the plot was to first begin a campaign for the South-South to complete its tenure in 2023.
He said: “Ten known politicians mainly from Bayelsa State have come together as a group. Their job is to start a media campaign on the need for the South-South to complete its tenure.
“They believe that since every other zone that produced the President ruled the country for eight years, the South-South should be allowed to complete its tenure.
“The four Northern Governors backing the return of Jonathan in 2023 wanted the South-South to start the campaign first while they play a supportive role in midwifing the process. They want the argument to originate from their zone of interest”.
The source said already the 10 crack team had held a meeting with Jonathan and would soon meet with the Northern Governors involved in the project.
He said Jonathan was interested in the project, which was why he had refused to publicly deny his continual linkage to the 2023 presidency on the APC platform.
“The plan of these APC governors is to allow power return to the north after four years since Jonathan is entitled to only four years.
“The North believes that their tenure under the late President Musa Yar’Adua was cut short and they need to quickly return to power after 2023,” he said.
He said notable figures in the Bayelsa State Government had agreed to support the move even if it entailed their defections to the APC.
“If the plan goes well, Jonathan will defect to the APC and significant number of politicians in PDP across the South-South including Bayelsa will join him,” he said.
A kinsman of Jonathan and public analyst, Wisdom Ikuli, had earlier said there was nothing wrong in the move to bring Jonathan back to Aso Rock.
He said: “If we say we are fighting for equity and we believe in justice and fairness then it demands that the people of South-South should be given the remaining one term because they have done one term. When they complete that one term it will now rotate to another geopolitical zone”.
But the source insisted that if some Governors in APC continued to push for Jonathan, it could lead to the disintegration of the ruling party.
Though Jonathan has not publicly declared his intention to run in 2023, he has also not denied having a presidential ambition.
First published by The Nation