Why I conceded defeat to Buhari - Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Monday in London revisited his tenure in office and concluded that he fared well in the saddle of power.

Jonathan named his successful hand over of power to President Muhammadu Buhari from the op­position All Progressives Congress (APC) as a major feat.

Jonathan said he “proved to the ordinary man or woman in the country that I was his or her equal.”

He advocated for a Bill of Rights to guarantee equality and end dis­crimination as a means of deepen­ing Nigeria’s growth and develop­ment.

At a lecture delivered at the Bloomberg Television Centre in London before an elite audience of Nigerian professionals, diplomats, friends of Nigerians and interna­tional investors, the former Presi­dent made a case for investment in Nigeria.

He said: “I was true to my word when on March 16, 2015, just after the election, when the results were still being collated by the Indepen­dent National Electoral Commis­sion (INEC), I called my opponent, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to con­cede, in order to avoid any conflict and ensure a peaceful transition of power.

“This was without precedent in my country and I am proud that it achieved my goal of no conflict arising from the result of the elec­tion.

“Some may think it is ironic that perhaps my proudest achievement was not winning the 2015 presi­dential election. By being the first elected Nigerian leader to willingly hand over power via the ballot box, to the opposition party, without contesting the election outcome, I proved to the ordinary man or woman in the country that I was his or her equal. That his or her vote was equal to mine and that democracy is the ‘government by the will of the people’, and Nigeria, and indeed Africa is ripe for de­mocracy.”

Jonathan therefore urged Nige­rians to work toward consolidating democracy and winning the war against corruption, adding that he remains committed to good gov­ernance, effective stewardship and transparency.

Nigeria, according to him, needs deeply entrenched freedom, peace and unity to make meaningful progress.

He said: “For this to happen, it is imperative that both the Executive and the Legislative arms of govern­ment institute a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights that will end discrim­ination and tribalism, and pro­mote equality, enabling everyone to work towards the common goal for the development of the nation.

“A Bill of Rights which like the British Magna Carta, some 800 years ago, enshrined the principle of habeas corpus so that no person is deprived of his liberty without a trial of his peers. A Bill of Rights, like that introduced by America’s Founding Fathers, which stated ‘the people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their senti­ments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.”

On his vision for Nigeria, the former President replied: “A Ni­geria where you are judged on your merits and not your origins; a Nigeria where you can get the education you want and the future you choose; a Nigeria whose gov­ernment serves the people and is not above the law; a Nigeria whose government invests in its resources above the ground and not just the resources below; a place where we all work together, rather than allow ourselves to be divided by tribalism or prejudice.”