Protesters on Friday stormed the private office of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja with a call to declare his interest to contest the presidential election next year.
This comes about 10 months before the general elections are to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The protesters comprising men, women, and youths believe the former President is the man for the job and want him to join the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari when he completes his second term in office in May 2022.
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The group, under the banner of Youth Compatriots of Nigeria, said they decided to stage the match to force Jonathan to enter the race to complete what he started before he was sent out of the presidential villa.
Spokesman for the group, Mayor Samuel, said, “We were deceived and brainwashed by those who claimed they could do it in 2015.
“Now, we know better, under Jonathan the minimum wage could buy one or two bags of rice. What do we have today? We are begging President Jonathan to forgive us, we have realised our mistakes, we want him back to complete what he started.”
There have been various groups canvassing for Jonathan to enter the presidential race, with some demanding that he contest on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Responding to them, the former President said, “Yes you are calling me to come and declare for the next election, I cannot tell I’m declaring.
“The political process is ongoing, just watch out. The key role you must play is that Nigeria must get somebody that will carry young people along.”
Jonathan, who charged the youths to show greater interest in the nation’s political process, said it was time they took advantage of the ‘Not Too Young To Run Act’ to participate actively in the electoral process.
