Nigeria: Ex-President Jonathan Will Be a Hard Sell for APC, Says Ebonyi Governor Umahi

However, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, also a presidential aspirant under APC, said the participation of Jonathan in the party’s presidential primaries this month would be another wonder of the world.

Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi warned that former Nigeria Prssident Goodluck Jonathan would be difficult to elect as APC’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election. The governor told newsmen on Tuesday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the State House, Abuja, that it would be difficult for the ruling party to campaign with Jonathan as its presidential candidate.

Umahi, who is one of the 26 presidential aspirants of APC, said although there had been denials of the former president’s rumoured move to APC, if he eventually defected to the ruling party, it would be a material for the Guinness Book of Records. He wondered how APC would reconcile its policies and promises with those of PDP under which Jonathan was president from 2010 to 2015.

According to Umahi, “The reason is that if you go and see the campaign programmes of APC and you now ask President Jonathan to come and run, I don’t know what will be our campaign promises and what will be the stories we will be telling Nigerians.

“I believe strongly that he was not aware of the forms and I want to believe that people that are mischievous would have bought the forms to embarrass him.

“But from what I read, he has quickly distanced himself from that. Like I said, if that is not the case, then the Guinness Book of Records is not totally filled up.”

On his views about Jonathan joining the presidential race, the governor recounted that God used the former president and his wife for him to emerge as Ebonyi State governor seven years ago.

Umahi stated, “Jonathan is my father and God used him and the wife to make me governor of the state and so, anybody who has done anything for me, I’ve always remained very grateful to such a person and I will continue to be very grateful to him, the wife for being available and my destiny helper.

“Probably if that miracle did not take place, then the miracles that happened in Ebonyi State, in terms of total evolution and transformation, wouldn’t have taken place.

“So, he is a man we cannot forget, just like Sani Abacha, who created the state and Mr. President. Of course, we have named the airport after him, we have named the light tunnel after him, we have named the Presidential Lodge after him.”

Umahi, however, stressed that it would be a wonder if Jonathan ran for president on the APC platform.

He stated, “Good intention that we don’t forget people who have helped us, but on the question of joining, I may not say much about that because I’ve seen a lot of write ups, denials, but if he decides to join and to run, it will, for me, become one of the wonders in this century.”

Follow us on: