Former President Goodluck Jonathan cannot be a presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 elections, two prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress, Hilliard Eta, former Vice National Chairman, South-South, and Dr Salihu Lukman, National Vice Chairman, North West, have said.

There are speculations that the power brokers within the party and some elements in the presidency were hell bent on imposing Jonathan as the candidate of the party, whose presidential primary was shifted from May 29-30 to June 6-7.

Eta said in an interview on the Arise TV on ‘The Morning Show’ Monday declared that former President Jonathan was not even a member of the APC and could not have been considered for the party’s topmost job.

He said those peddling the rumour of the party fielding Jonathan as a consensus presidential candidate are non-members of the APC and should not be taken seriously.

Similarly, Lukman said in an interview on Sunday that it would be impossible to impose a presidential candidate on the party ahead of the 2023 elections.

He insisted that all the aspirants that had purchased forms would be given a level playing ground.

He said, “As far the leadership of APC is concerned and I am a member of that leadership, that (imposition) is not going to be possible. As far as the majority, indeed all of us (NWC) are concerned, everybody that bought the nomination form will be given a level playing field, so far such a person is qualified to be a member of APC and is qualified to aspire for such an important position.

“The campaign leading to the emergence of the candidate and the eventual trend of delegates to the convention will be driven based on the aspiration of bringing out somebody that is acceptable to Nigerians on the basis of which the party can win. It is not on the basis of individual scheming.”

The party chieftain stated Jonathan was not qualified to be the presidential candidate of the APC.

He said, “There are clear guidelines in terms of how individual members of the party qualified to emerge as the candidate of the party. One, through the sale of nomination forms. Assuming Jonathan claimed to be a member of the party, he has not bought the forms to the best of our knowledge. How do you come from the back door?

“Secondly, as far as our memory can recall, the party became popular on the basis of the campaign against the bad governance of Jonathan and nothing has changed that we can now say has qualified him to emerge as the arrowhead of our campaign in 2023.

“As far as I am concerned, these two reasons disqualified Jonathan from even aspiring to become the candidate of the party. I don’t know where he is coming from. Unfortunately, in this country, where there is the mentality that everything is possible, but it must be clearly stated that as far as the leadership of the party is concerned, the person of Jonathan can’t be under consideration.”

When reminded that the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, last week, said 28 aspirants purchased the presidential nomination forms, including the former President, whose form was bought by a group of pastoralists and Almajiri communities, Lukman dismissed this claim.

“I am waiting for anybody to present evidence that a form has been submitted for Jonathan before the deadline for submission. I am waiting to see such evidence. You know, such a form will contain all details including the membership details of Jonathan. That I have not seen. Maybe somebody is hiding his form somewhere else. I am not aware Jonathan bought the nomination form,” he said.

TheCable on Sunday reportedly that Jonathan was not on the list of presidential hopefuls expected to be screened by the APC.

It recalled that in April 2022, after supporters had besieged his Abuja residence to ask him to contest the 2023 presidential election, Jonathan did not give a definite response.

“You are calling me to come and declare for the next election. I cannot tell you I’m declaring. The political process is ongoing. Just watch out,” he had said.

Days after, a northern coalition bought the APC presidential expression of interest and nomination forms for him, but the former president had denied approving the purchase.

APC spokesman, Felix Morka, had said out of 28 presidential forms purchased, only three persons — Chris Ngige, minister of labour; Timipre Sylva, minister of state for petroleum: and Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria — did not submit their forms.

A form was also purchased for Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), but he had said he was not interested in contesting.

Names of the presidential hopefuls listed for screening by the APC are below:

Chukwuemeja Uwaezuoke Nwajiuba

Badaru Abubakar

Robert A. Boroffice

Uju Ken-Ohanenye

Nicholas Felix

Nweze David Umahi

Ken Nnamani

Gbolahan B. Bakare

Ibikunle Amosun

Ahmed B. Tinubu

Ahmad Rufai Sani

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi

Oladimeji Sabon Bankole

John Kayode Fayemi

Godswill Obot Akpabio

Yemi Osinbajo

Rochas Anayo Okorocha

Yahaya Bello

Tein Jack-Rich

Christopher Onu

Ahmad Lawan

Ben Ayade

Ikeobasi Mokelu