The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is not planning to endorse a former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, as its candidate for the 2023 Presidential election.
There were reports last week that some Northern governors were working hard to ensure that the former president gets the APC ticket.
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But the party, through its Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni, said that such a story is not true but just the creation of some people.
Speaking to BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday, Buni said there is nothing like that in the party, adding that the story was created by some individuals.
“I know people will judge based on our visit to Jonathan when he celebrated his birthday. But that is just a visit to him as a former president, it has no political inclinations.
“He is a former president and an elder statesman who is respected by many people in the country. Did Jonathan declare interest to contest for President?
“In politics, we do visit each other either for celebration or to sympathize depending on what happened to anyone among us,” he said.
Buni, who is also the governor of Yobe State, said Jonathan is a patriotic citizen and peace promoter who is supposed to be respected by all political parties in the country.
“When we are talking of peaceful coexistence, we must give respect to former President Jonathan on the issue of peace. How he accepted defeat in 2015 and resigned to fate. That has qualified him to be a statesman and he is now among our fathers.”