SAN FRANCISCO, June 01, (THEWILL) – Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has returned to Nigeria after reports suggested that he was seeking asylum in the Cote D’Ivoire, where he said he was holidaying.
Dr. Jonathan, who dismissed the reports, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Wednesday evening.
His party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a tweet on Wednesday declared that: “The hero of our democracy is back home,” with a picture of the former President at an airport.
During his absence, there were reports that he had gone into exile for fear of arrest by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, owing to startling revelations of corruption against some of his close associates and ministers.
His return also coincides with President Buhari’s visit to Ogoni land on Thursday, June 2, to kick start the clean-up of the region despite heightened cases of militant activities in the Niger Delta.
Curiously, in the face of the growing hostilities, including the issuance of an ultimatum for oil companies to leave the region or face “bloody attacks”, Jonathan, who is a son of the Niger Delta, has opted to remain quiet.
Jonathan returns to meet a divided PDP with three factions battling for the leadership of the party.
