A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sani Al’ameen Muhammed said he totally disagrees with the statement credited to human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, that former President Goodluck Jonathan can’t contest the presidency 2023.
Al’ameen, a Bauchi State gubernatorial aspirant under the APC, stated this in a statement on Friday,
He said Jonathan has every right to contest in the 2023 presidential election, adding that the former president constitutionally has a right to contest for two consecutive terms of eight years in office.
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Al’ameen said Mr Jonathan was Nigeria’s president between 2010 and 2015. “First he became the President of Nigeria in 2010 following the sudden death of President Umaru Yar’adua, and later contested and won the 2011 presidential election.
“For the first tenure he completed the tenure of late President Umaru Yar’adua which will not be counted as part of his tenure.
“It’s not true to say that Jonathan is disqualified from contesting the 2023 presidential election. Just for a simple reason that if he wins the election he will spend an additional term of four years.
“Let me take you back, former Governor of Yobe State Ibrahim Geidam completed the first tenure of late Mamman Ali and he contested election twice and won without hindrance of anykind from anybody
“Jonathan is from the southern part of the country; he has a laudable projects and programmes which he should come and complete. One of the programnes is Almajiri education.”
He said ” Jonathan who came from the south introduced and spent billions of Naira through education intervention and built hundreds of tsangaya schools for the benefit of all Almajiri children whom were neglected by the previous leaders both military and civilians “
Al’ameen said he did all these in the interest of one nation, “for that we are still calling on him to come out and contest for president in 2023 and we want Nigerians to support him to enable him continue with the good work he has started, especially addressing the socio-economic and security challenges bedevilling the country.
