Jonathan’s reputation was at its lowest level in 2015, as not only had he become Nigeria’s first incumbent president to lose an election, he was seen by many as corrupt and weak given how the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) went about their campaign.
That said, he has since used the years that passed to rebuild what was once a tarnished reputation, which may have been why he was reportedly skeptical about joining the party that caused his huge downfall after they surprisingly came calling.
Reports had it that the presidency approached him, promising to make him APC’s presidential candidate if he joins the APC under certain conditions. However, we now know that is not going to happen, as the SaharaReporters reported he has now rejected that offer due to some of those conditions.
Frankly, Jonathan will be putting all the forward steps he had made in the last 7 years at risk if he had accepted that offer. He may win, but 4 years may end up being insufficient to do the work needed to significantly improve the country’s current situation.
Therefore, he may end up leaving the position with a lot left to be done, and that could damage the reputation he has slowly built in the last few years.
There was also the condition that he had to deliver some states in the South-East and South-South to the APC. By demanding that, they were setting him up against two regions that have somewhat resisted the political party. Therefore, it had the potential of creating enmity between him and those regions.
In addition, the indigenes of the South-East region may feel he betrayed them if he had decided to contest as they feel it’s their time to rule the country given they have not had a chance to do so, other than for 6 months under Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966. All those may have been what he considered before passing up the opportunity.
PIONEER NEWS 