BY RIMI ALIU
THE All Progressives Congress has said leaders of the party visited former President Goodluck Jonathan to felicitate with him on his birthday anniversary, as a statesman, who is now one of Nigeria’s fathers.
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who is the National Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the ruling party, was reacting to reports that some APC governors had gone to woo the former President ahead of 2023, in an interview with BBC Hausa Service.
He refuted the report, indicating that the story might have been concocted.
According to him, Jonathan should be commended for promoting peace, especially in view of how he accepted defeat in 2015 and resigned to fate.
He said, “Those peddling such information are afraid. But for now, there is nothing in the APC which has anything to do with the aspiration for 2023.
“Even if someone wants to base their assumption on our recent visit to him (Jonathan) during his birthday, we were there because of his capacity as a former President of Nigeria.”
“Again, even if there is nothing, when we talk of peaceful coexistence, we must give credit 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,” Buni declared.
He said the visit to Jonathan might have been misconstrued because of his status as a former president, noting that there was nothing more to it other than giving the former President the respect he deserved.
“There are numerous of such visits to leaders of the PDP and APC. Why are others not being mentioned but Jonathan?” he asked.
