Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday morning, April 22, 2022, finally broke his silence on the clamour by his supporters for him to run for the 2023 presidency.

He spoke when some of his supporters stormed his Abuja office, asking him to declare for the 2023 presidency without further delay. The former president told them to “watch out”.

The supporters wielded placards and banners with inscriptions such as “Goodluck Jonathan must run for president 2023”, and “Jonathan is our candidate’, among others.

The ex-president went into a closed-door meeting with leaders of the group.

Addressing the supporters after the meeting, Jonathan said the youths should keep getting involved in the political process for a better Nigeria.

The ex-president said: “You are calling me to come and declare for the next election. I cannot tell you I’m declaring. The political process is ongoing, just watch out.

“The key role you must play is to pray that Nigeria gets somebody that carries the young people along; somebody that can also work very hard to see that some of the problems are addressed by the government and I believe collectively, we will work together.”

Jonathan became president in 2010 when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died.

In 2011, he ran for the same office, won the election and ran the country till 2015 when he was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

If he contests and wins the 2023 polls, he would run the country for only four years in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

•Adapted from a Daily Trust report.

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