A political pressure group, Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPD), has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt former president Goodluck Jonathan, as the party’s candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Ralph Okorie, who made the call on Monday at a news conference in Abuja, urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to endorse the Jonathan project.
“There is a need for experience and continuity. The two enjoy the most cordial relationship that had ever existed between an incumbent and his immediate predecessor,” he said.
Okorie said the call for Buhari to endorse Jonathan was to ensure that candidates without clear cut vision do not emerge as the party’s flag-bearer in the 2023 presidential election.
He said that allowing candidates without clear cut vision to get into the Presidential Villa in 2023, would not only be suicidal but would be like aiding and supporting incompetence over competence.
According to Okorie, the persistent calls from different parts of the country for Jonathan to contest the 2023 presidential election indicates that Nigerians have genuinely and passionately join the support for Jonathan.
“We acknowledge that the ripple effects of good governance is multi-generational, hence, the CNPD for Jonathan call on all Nigerians to support this agenda.
“We strongly believe that this administration is working round the clock to address the two major problems of security and economy bedeviling this country.
“It will be counter-productive to bring an amateur to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari at this material time.
“As vanguards for Nigeria’s development, peace and unity, we want to reiterate that, our beloved country cannot afford to have a regional champion as a flagbearer.
“It is imperative that Dr Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman of APC will use the best man for the job to win this election bearing in mind that anything short of a Jonathan ticket will cost APC the presidency in 2023,” Okorie said.