Saturday, October 26, 2024 –Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan
opened up about his emotional experience following his 2015 election defeat.
Speaking at the inaugural Raymond Dokpesi Annual Diamond Lecture held in
Abuja on Friday, October 25, organized by Daar Communications and the Nigerian
Institute of Public Relations, the event honored the late media mogul Raymond
Dokpesi, who passed away in May 2023.
Jonathan, who served as president from 2010 to 2015, reflected on the
intense feelings of isolation he felt after losing his re-election bid. “It is
not easy to lose an election as a president. You will think the whole world is
against you,” he remarked. In the 2015 election, he sought a second term on the
platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but was defeated by Muhammadu
Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), making him the first sitting
Nigerian president to lose a re-election bid.
Despite the loss, Jonathan made headlines by graciously conceding and
congratulating Buhari even before the official results were announced by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). At Friday’s event, he
recounted how Dokpesi provided much-needed support after the loss, giving him
hope and encouragement to move forward.
Jonathan shared, “Dokpesi invited me before I handed over. I remember
what he said to me when I lost the election… After I listened to all the
conversations, he congratulated me and encouraged me to look beyond the
election.” Jonathan said Dokpesi’s counsel not only assisted with the impending
transition but also provided him with spiritual strength for his new life as a
private citizen.
He later detailed these reflections in his book, My Transition Hours, which provides a deeper look into his experience transitioning out of office.
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