Few hours after the African Democratic Congress, ADC, held its first national caucus meeting in Abuja, former president Goodluck Jonathan paid a visit to the national chairman of the party, Senator David Mark.
The visit by Jonathan to the APC national chairman to many cannot be ignored at such a time when every step in politics matters.
Sources in the ADC say, however, that though the meeting was a private one between the former president and the party’s national chairman, there are indications that Jonathan is trying to rally the opposition parties before making up his mind whether to contest the Presidency or not.
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The source, a top member of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said, “If you can remember, members of the PDP have been calling on the former president to show interest and come and contest, while he has not come out to say he is contesting, he has also not categorically said he is not contesting. So, for us as politicians, what that means is there is interest.
“But, what I can tell you is that Jonathan is a former president, an international citizen as at today. So if he decides to contest against the ruling party, he will probably want to do that under a unified opposition. He cannot come into PDP the way the party is today. When most of the party leaders have left for the ADC, many of the governors have left for the APC.”
When contacted, the ADC explained that the Thursday meeting between Jonathan and David Mark was a private one.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, told our correspondent on phone that contrary to reports in some quarters, the ADC caucus meeting where party leaders met in Abuja was a separate event from the meeting between the two leaders.
He said, “The leaders of the coalition met earlier in the day, that was reported, but the meeting between our National chairman and former president Goodluck Jonathan was a private one between the two leaders.
“Some of us were just around in the house, but we were not part of the meeting. It was a closed door affair between the two leaders,” he said.
Notwithstanding the explanation, some say the meeting cannot be waived aside as the timing and optics were too important to be ignored.
A reliable source in the ADC said as a politician and former president, Jonathan is aware of the interpretation the gesture would be given but chose not to be discreet about it.
He said, “Coming at a time that it is being speculated that he may run for the presidency again, the action of Jonathan cannot be waved aside.”
Some say it is also curious that Jonathan met with the national chairman of the ADC immediately after the party made it known that it is considering throwing open its presidential ticket for 2027.
National caucus of the ADC had while rising from its first meeting in Abuja on Thursday, urged hopefuls to support whoever emerges as the party’s flag bearer in the 2027 election.
Those at the caucus meeting included Mark, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi, while candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi sent his apologies.
Jonathan lost the 2015 presidential election to late former president Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, but has since then taken a back seat politically, though he has been linked to presidential contest since 2023.
In the build up to the 2023 elections, a group was reported to have paid N100 million to obtain a form for him to participate in the APC presidential primary.
Analysts say the former president is being mentioned in the build up to the contest due to the peculiar advantages he is said to have over others eyeing the seat.
Analysts posit that while other aspirants like former vice president Atiku Abubakar have to battle with the issue of zoning as they argue that it is only fair for the South to be allowed eight years which expires in 2031,Jonathan has no such inhibitions since he comes from the southern part of the country .
The biggest thing going for him, however, is the fact that he is about the only one statutorily constrained to one term since having served previously as president he cannot go beyond a single term.
With that restriction, those who are opposed to the APC but afraid that a new president might do two terms are comfortable with Jonathan though Atiku, Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Obi have also vowed not to go beyond a single term.
The only snag for Jonathan appears to be the legal issue over whether he qualifies to run after having taken the oath of office twice.
A former House of Representatives member from Rivers State, Bernard Mikko, told Weekend Trust that there is a Federal High Court judgement which cleared the coast for Jonathan to contest another election, saying he has the right to do so in 2027.
“Naturally, political parties in opposition may appear weak, but they remain a potential government in waiting. The entire conversation about this story is speculative even as there’s no smoke without fire. Those calling on him to re-contest might genuinely mean well while others think otherwise. No matter what it is, time will tell,” he said.
Mikko, a former governorship aspirant on the platform of the PDP in Rivers State said, “The decision of Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election is his, not anyone else. What others can do is evaluate the economy and social wellbeing of Nigerians under the Goodluck Jonathan administration and when he left.
“The law is very creative and dynamic. I understand the legal impediment has been analysed by legal luminaries with a dominant opinion that the Constitutional Amendment signed by President Buhari in 2018 cannot take a retrospective effect from 2015”, he said.
Our correspondents report that there are moves by other parties, mainly the PDP to convince Jonathan to join the presidential race and contest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
But due to the problem the party is having with the FCT minister Nyesom Wike who is a strong ally of President Tinubu, many are said to have advised Jonathan not to take that option.
The ADC, pundits say, appears a better platform since it is made up of his former allies like Mark, Amaechi and others.
The development has put many politicians who had already given their support to other aspirants in dilemma as they are no longer sure about Jonathan’s next step.
A former minister who is a strong supporter of a former VP who has indicated interest to run for the presidency in 2027 and had defected to the ADC is in that situation as she is considering retracing her steps.
Our correspondent learnt that the former minister who is also close to Jonathan after getting the hint that the former president may run has been worried about the step to take.
Our correspondents also learnt that the much promoted independence stage play, The Patriot, in Abuja which posters display the image of Jonathan which aims to celebrate leadership, sacrifice and patriotism may be part of the process to project the former president.
Pundits are saying the event is being put together to reawaken the consciousness of Nigerians to a plural democracy and good governance.
Jonathan is currently a member of the PDP and has stayed in the fold of the party even after losing the presidential election.
Analyst says unlike 2023 when Jonathan remained mute on the prospect of running, his body language this time has shown that he is not totally against the idea as he has been meeting with the key players that wound shape the 2027 race.
Reports by Saawua Terzungwe & Baba Martins
