Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has denied reports that he would contest the 2019 presidential election.
There were reports that Mr. Jonathan who left office last year following his defeat by President Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28, 2015 presidential election, was under pressure to return to power.
Vanguard newspaper quoted Ikechukwu Eze, media aide to Mr. Jonathan as saying in a statement that his principal had no plan to contest the 2019 presidential poll.
Mr. Eze said the former president did not at anytime declare an intention to contest, describing it as mere "fabrication."
The statement said "Our attention has just been drawn to a fabricated online publication alleging that the former President Goodluck Jonathan made comments on the 2019 elections, while hosting his kinsmen in Otuoke last Tuesday.
"Those reports are false and bear no truth whatsoever. The former President was not in Otuoke on Tuesday, neither did he make the comments attributed to him. In fact, he has only just returned to his community to spend Christmas having been away for two weeks, so he could not have been hosting anyone there last Tuesday.
"Of what good is it to our national development efforts if some people spend so much energy spreading falsehood about fellow citizens and our nation?
The statement also said the former president wished "his fellow compatriots a merry Christmas and prosperous New Year in advance, and advises all to always channel their efforts towards working to attain the nation of our collective dreams."
Mr. Jonathan, who was a candidate of the People Democratic Party lost to Mr. Buhari, the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress.
Mr. Buhari won 15.4 million votes against Mr. Jonathan's 13.3 million.
The former president had called Mr. Buhari to concede defeat ending the 16 years of the PDP rule.
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Goodluck Jonathan: I'm Under Pressure To Contest For Presidency In 2019
Dec 22, 2016
Immediate former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has revealed he is under enormous pressure, to contest for president in 2019.
According to NewsDay, Jonathan has been receiving calls, messages and mails from home and abroad, urging him to contest in the next presidential elections.
He revealed this while addressing his kinsmen, who paid him an end-of-the-year visit in his hometown in Otueke, Bayelsa State.
It is also understood that some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains, want Jonathan to consider contesting. They believe it was the party who failed in the 2015 general elections and not the former president.
The 59-year-old ruled from 2011 to 2015 and lost his bid for re-election last year, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Jonathan, however, said he was not thinking of running for office now, as he believes he has done his best for Nigeria.
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