Former president Goodluck Jonathan has finally publicly declared his support for People Democratic Party presidential hopeful Atiku Abubakar and his vice presidential running mate Ifeanyi Okowa.
Ahead of the 2023 general election, Jonathan addressed Okowa as Nigeria’s incoming vice president during a meeting with some PDP members.
Party leaders, including Bauchi state governor Bala Mohammed, attended the meeting.
“Our incoming vice president has served two terms as a governor,” Jonathan said, holding Okowa’s hand.
The former president also wished “more success” to those running for various offices in the 2023 elections.
In the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, this is Jonathan’s first public endorsement of a vice presidential candidate.
Given that they are both running on the same ticket, Jonathan’s support for Okowa suggests that he is also endorsing PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
Jonathan has not been a major participant in PDP events since he was unsuccessful in running for re-election in 2015, despite widespread rumours that he left the party and joined the APC.
There were rumours that APC stakeholders preferred Jonathan to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari during the run-up to the APC presidential primary in June.
He had simply warned his supporters to “watch out” in the meantime, despite calls for him to run for president.
However, he refused to take part in any party’s presidential primary and disavowed any involvement with a northern coalition that had paid for his APC presidential nomination form.
Article updated 9 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
