Losing re-election bid tormented me – Jonathan confesses
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the 14th democratic president of Nigeria who began his tenure as president on 5 May 2010, after the premature demise of Umaru Yar’Adua, lost to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general poll after garnering 12,853,162 votes as compared to the eventual winner’s 15,424,921 votes.
In what was recorded as the first of its kind, an incumbent president lost his re-election bid in Nigeria.
At the time, it was believed he would contest the result, surprisingly he backed down peacefully.
His decision was subject to debate, with some calling him a true leader while others labeled him a weakling.
He has however exposed the truth on the circumstances he found himself then.
On Friday, at the 1st Raymond Dokpesi Annual Diamond Lecture in Abuja, organised by the management of Daar Communications in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, he confessed that losing the election was a tough moment in his political career and that he was extremely emotional about it.
He further added that he felt the world was against him and the pain he experienced cannot be explained.
The ex-president also recounted how Chief Raymond Dokpesi was instrumental in helping him deal with the situation, as he played a fatherly role to him before played before he officially handed over to Buhari.
“It is not easy to lose an election as a president. You will think the whole world is against you. But then, Dokpesi invited me before I handed over. I remember what he said to me when I lost the election”.
“There were so many senior Nigerians (elder statesmen) who spoke. After I listened to all the conversations, he congratulated me and encouraged me to look beyond the election. This is how I commemorated that session”.
“That communication gave me hope and helped me not necessarily for the transition hour ahead of me but also in my spiritual life as a private citizen. If you read my book, My Transition Hours, I explain it more elaborately”.
However, his countenance during the lecture suggested that he has overcome the pain as he was constantly beaming with smiles
In testament to his growth after leaving office, he became the first Sub-Saharan African leader to be appointed to the International Advisory Board of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East.
He has also led several International Election Observation Missions between 2015 and 2023 to Tanzania, Zambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, The Gambia, Kenya Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe.
In July 2020, Jonathan was appointed special envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to lead mediation talks during the 2020 Malian protests.
