2023 presidency: Buhari favours Jonathan, delays APC screening

President Muhammadu Buhari may have ochestrated the delay of the screening of presidential aspirants of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to accommodate former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Daily Independent reports, quoting a reliable source.

A Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, will today rule on the eligibility of Jonathan to contest the presidential election.

APC had fixed the screening of the presidential aspirants on Monday, May 23, 2022, but it was later postponed indefinitely.

If cleared by the court to contest, Jonathan, who has been given a waiver by the APC leadership led by its national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, will participate in the screening exercise and the primary slated for Sunday.

A chieftain of the APC who asked not to be named told Daily Independent that the President wanted Jonathan to participate in the primary.

”President Muhammadu Buhari is still plotting for Jonathan to participate in the primaries. He deliberately delayed the APC screening to accommodate the court ruling today”.

“If the ruling is favourable, Jonathan will be screened and having been granted a waiver, he will participate in Sunday’s primary”.

A fortnight ago, the leadership of the APC in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State had confirmed that Jonathan is a registered member of the party.

The chairman of APC in Ogbia ward 13, Mr Igori Freeman said Jonathan, who is yet to announce his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) registered as a member of APC since 2019.