Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied endorsing the Atiku/Okowa presidential ticket.
This is coming even as reports have claimed that Jonathan has a soft spot for the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
A close ally of the former president who was at the recent courtesy visit facilitated by the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, told Daily Sun that Jonathan is not happy that the PDP turned the private visit into an endorsement for its presidential candidate.
He said journalists were not allowed to witness the private visit and conversation but that some PDP hawks secretly recorded the proceeding and posted it just to create the impression that he had endorsed Atiku.
The newspaper source revealing why President Jonathan prayed for Okowa said he is a statesman who extends equal gestures to all the presidential candidates.
He explained that the visitors led by the Bauchi governor brought some kola nuts for Jonathan to according to them, pray for the incoming vice president (Okowa) and that the former president merely used their own words to pray for him.
According to the source: “You know that President Jonathan has a soft spot for the Bauchi governor who led the delegation. Atiku who had made several efforts to get Jonathan’s support was not even part of the delegation.
“Jonathan was surprised when his attention was drawn to the news on the social media that he had endorsed Atiku. That did not happen but as a statesman, he just let it go instead of putting up a statement denying it.
“It was to forestall the PDP making a political capital of the visit that Jonathan’s aides prevented the media from being in the meeting but who knew that some hawks in the party had planned to use it to gain some mileage.”
The source said that if there was any presidential candidate that enjoys the support of the former president, it is Peter Obi.
He said that the LP candidate had visited Jonathan at least three times since the conclusion of the party primaries unlike candidates of other parties.
“You know that Obi is very close to Jonathan for obvious reasons. When Oga was in power, Obi was one of those close to him and they have continued to enjoy the relationship till now. I am sure that is why many people are surprised when they started to read that he has endorsed Atiku/Okowa ticket. Jonathan is a statesman and he treats all the presidential candidates with respect but people should not misunderstand that as an endorsement."
