Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State says he could have a big problem on his hands in his 2023 presidential bd if former President Goodluck Jonathan joins the race.
Mohammed is vying for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, there have been calls for Jonathan, who lost his re-election bid in 2015, to contest again.
The former president, who told his supporters that he was unsure of his next move, advised them to “watch out”, a statement analysts have said could mean he was seriously contemplating throwing his hat into the ring again.
In a reaction, Mohammed, who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under Jonathan, said he could quit the presidential race out of respect for Jonathan.
Speaking on Channels Television programme, “Politics Today”on Sunday, the Bauchi governor said, “He is one of those persons I respect most in this country. He is the most respected person I have because I emerged and came to national limelight through him. Certainly I have come to establish a family relationship with him and to me, he cannot be in the race and I will be in the race, out of respect and modesty.
“I have given him enough time and he has urged me to go ahead and I have gone ahead and even gotten another burden now; the mandate of my elders to continue. So if Jonathan is running, it is a very big problem to me,”
Recall that the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) endorsed Mohammed and former Senate President Bukola Saraki as the “northern consensus candidates” on Friday, a move that has generated controversy.