A group under the aegis of Save Nigeria Buhari Ambassadors, (SNBA) have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to adopt Former President Goodluck Jonathan as the consensus candidate of the Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election.
Addressing a Press Conference on Wednesday at the NUJ press Center in Abuja the National Co-ordinator of the group, Honourable Jazeel Jamil Ibrahim said,
“As a group loyal to Mr President , whose goal is to scout, support and promote credible, competent, intelligent and visionary leaders with the capacity to reform, rebrand and transform the political landscape of Nigeria we wish to draw his attention to Dr. Jonathan.
“He should single him out from the hustling crowd of Aspirants canvassing for the office of the President of Nigeria, as a candidate to fly the flag of the APC in 2023 presidential election.”
Ibrahim expressed the believe that Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has established himself as a true Democrat, a peace ambassador and a Patriotic Nigerian whose stance for the unification and cementing of the already fragmented pieces called Nigeria as one indivisible Nation.
“As you all know, Dr. Jonathan is one who has the interest of Nigerians at heart, as exemplified in 2015 when he shelved his personal ambition to avert a looming crisis, declaring that his ambition was “not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”
“Former President Goodluck Jonathan has high level of integrity and credibility, He is a sound academician, with a well cooked egg head, to revamp and revive any economy.
“We hereby appeal to Mr. President and the leadership of All Progressives Congress ( APC), to field him as the Consensus presidential flag bearer in the 2023 forth coming election.
“We strongly believe that the Otuoke born Politician has a strong reputation as an elder Statesman, a tested and proven patriot, a reliable and trusted nationalist, who is committed to the development and advancement of NIGERIA and Africa at large.
He described former president Jonathan, as a celebrated hero of infrastructural and economic revivalist whose transformational Agenda birthed the implementation of projects and policies geared at promoting and stimulating development across different phases and stratas of the economy.
“Jonathan is a leader per excellence, who has the technical expertise to marshal out smart, highly educated and intelligent technocrats that understudied and transformed Nigerian economy.
“Under his watch, Nigeria experienced unprecedented economic growth and became the largest economy in Africa.
“As the then President of the most populous black nations in the world, Jonathan promoted democratic values and principles, peace and national security, which enlisted him as the most sort after black leader, in the continents of Africa.
“Dr. Jonathan made major contributions to the political, economic and social development of Nigeria through his Transformation Agenda.
“Jonathan is a secured leader, who tenaciously and systematically drives with passion his overwhelming commitment to changing the global negative perceptions of the Nigerian elections by reforming the electoral process and establishing a culture of non-violent, free, fair, and credible elections.
“As the Nigeria’s most celebrated politician, Jonathan has promoted democratic ideals through the observance of the rule of law, enactment of the Freedom of Information Act, electoral reforms and non-interference in electoral outcomes, while he was the President of this nation.
The coordinator said the former President, is richly endowed with grace and intellectual prowess, in his reign as the then President of Nigeria, when he successfully galvanized and pursued with vigor his economic recovery programme (the Transformation Agenda) through which he expanded the economy and increased agricultural and industrial production as well as supported and elevated the creative industry sector.
“As a versatile politician, Jonathan promoted social advancement through gender inclusion and equity and expanded access to education through the establishment and expansion of specialize tertiary institutions.
“President Jonathan and his political lieutenants smartly grew the economy to be the largest in Africa with a GDP of of almost a trillion dollars. He has a matchless records of results that stands him out among other political bigwigs.
In the quest to highlight his pedigree and notable achievements to many doubting Thomases, former “President Jonathan, was in league with other notable Heads of States in the ECOWAS to resolve the political crisis and stabilize democracies in the sub-region of Africa especially in countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso and Togo.”
According to him, as a peace ambassador in Africa, Dr. Jonathan has shown an avalanche of commitment and passion towards bringing peace and stability to Africa. “Within his five-year tenure Nigeria got more recognition in the United Nations Security Council. Nigeria was nominated twice, a feat very rarely achieved by non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
“Dr. Jonathan, because of his high political pedigree, not only in Nigeria, but in the entire coast of Africa, he was also revered and given the highest national honour by several African Presidents of their countries equivalent to the GCFR in Nigeria for his commitment to stabilizing democracy in the ECOWAS.
“Jonathan, since leaving office in 2015, has remained totally committed, dedicated and devoted to promoting democracy, credible elections, peace and respect for the rule of law in Africa.
“He is notably, the Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, an organization he founded to promote best practices in democracy, peace and prosperity in Africa.
“In his quest for overwhelming development, peace and tranquility in the entire African continent, Jonathan has led different International Election Observer Missions to various nations including Tanzania (Commonwealth-2015), Zambia (African Union-2016), Liberia (National Democratic Institute-2017), Sierra Leone (Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, EISA-2018), South Africa (EISA-2019) and Mozambique (African Union-2019).
“Jonathan has raised the stakes of leadership and governance in Africa so high that it is very difficult to get a possible replacement for him. In 2019, he emerged Chairperson of the African Chapter of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP), an association of serving and former Presidents who are jointly working to bring peace, stability and economic prosperity to the world.
“In May 2020, he was appointed as a Member of the Kofi Annan Foundation Electoral Integrity Initiative Senior Panel.
“Given his position as the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the great roles and contributions his administration offered to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in ECOWAS region, in July 2020, he was appointed as the ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali with the mandate of restoring peace and democracy in the country.”