The
intrigues that played out during the 2015 Presidential election in
which incumbent Goodluck Jonathan was defeated has been revealed.
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
More facts have emerged on forces that convinced Jonathan to call
Muhammadu Buhari and concede victory even before the last result was
released. All these were revealed in the book, "Against the Run of Play: How an incumbent president was defeated in Nigeria” by chairman of ThisDay Board of Editors.
The trio of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr.
Mohammed Bello Adoke, his then Aviation counterpart, Mr Osita Chidoka
and Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Mr
Waripamo-Owei Dudafa reportedly prevailed on Jonathan to conceded
victory and congratulate Buhari.
“The drama unfolding at The Villa on 31st March 2015, four days
after the presidential election, would have profound implications for
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the nation he led. Kneeling in
front of Jonathan were his Attorney General and Justice Minister, Mr
Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN; Aviation Minister, Mr Osita Chidoka and
Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Mr Waripamo-Owei
Dudafa.
“The mission of the three officials was to persuade Jonathan to
call to congratulate his opponent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari
(retd) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even as the final results
were still being collated by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).
In the room, according to the book, were Vice President Namadi
Sambo; Akwa Ibom Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio; Executive Secretary of
the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy Opara and
the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“Chidoka had co-opted Adoke and Dudafa to make the plea after a
conversation he had with Jonathan the previous day. The president had
acknowledged that the results were going against him and that he was
going to concede. This was at a period when Nigerians were unsure of who
would win, with many politicians within the then ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) still betting on Jonathan. He, meanwhile, had
already asked Chidoka and a few others, including his spokesman, Dr.
Reuben Abati, to give him a draft concession speech.”
The pervading atmosphere at the Aso Villa, the book said, was
gloomy even as it disclosed that most residents of the seat of power
believed that then INEC chairman, Prof, Athahiru Jega had conspired to
rig Jonathan out of power.
“The general feeling within The Villa, a view fervently shared
by Jonathan, was that the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, was part of
a northern conspiracy against him.
“Among the strongest arguments for a potentially rigged election
were the results from Kano State. Jonathan himself admitted as much to
me in the course of our lengthy chat, saying, “Go and check the
results from Kano. The presidential election and that of National
Assembly happened on the same day and same time. The National Assembly
result reflected that about 800,000 people voted but that of the
presidential reflected a vote of about 1.8 million. I had reports of
what happened but I decided that for such to be accepted, it meant that
those who called themselves my supporters must have colluded. I was
betrayed by the very people I relied on to win the election.”
However, while Jonathan had resolved to accept the outcome of the
election, the book claimed that some people close to him made effort to
prevent him from conceding defeat.
“There were many around Jonathan who did not share his sense of
magnanimity. Tuesday, 31st March 2015 was therefore a dramatic day,
with the abortive attempt by the Niger Delta Minister and ally of the
president, Elder Godsday Orubebe, to disrupt proceedings at the INEC
collation centre, a spectacle that unfolded on live television.”
Orubebe’s histrionics were part of a grand plan to disrupt the
election, a plot that failed essentially because other parties involved
refused to play to the script.
“While Jega did not have the exact details of what would
happen, he had nonetheless been alerted to the fact that there would be a
disruption in the process, including a kidnap threat.
“On arrival at the collation centre that morning, we discovered
that the gate between the International Conference Centre and NICON
Luxury Hotel, which was always locked, had curiously been opened,”
recalled a security officer detailed to work with Jega. A decision was
immediate taken for the INEC chairman not to leave the collation hall
under any circumstances.
“Jega’s handlers proposed a live television feed of the
electoral commission’s activities so that whatever happened, the whole
world would witness it. In the security official’s narration:
“Of course, Jega is usually a calm person, but given what he already
knew, there was no way he was going to (take) the bait of Orubebe who
kept shouting, ‘Jega, go to your office!’ We knew what the whole plan
was about and had resolved not to play into their hands.”
Meanwhile, at The Villa, the drama was also being watched on
television. While the outcome must have deflated the hawks around
Jonathan who were still looking for a way out of the looming defeat, it
worked in favour of those who wanted him to concede before the final
tally of the results.
With Orubebe’s antics dealt with by Jega, INEC continued to process the results from the remaining states.
Chidoka pleaded: “Why don’t you take the wind off Jega’s sail? By calling Buhari, you would have rendered whatever INEC is doing redundant.”
At one point, Dudafa stood still and said loudly to Jonathan,
“Daddy, anybody can say whatever they like but we are leaving this house
on May 29. You have done your best for Nigeria and the people will
appreciate your sacrifices.”
Shortly thereafter, Jonathan got up from his seat and went into his
study where he picked up the phone and asked ‘Control’! to get Buhari
on the line. He spoke briefly with “Buhari, in a rather nervous tone,
and then came out to announce to those in the room that he had conceded
and congratulated the APC candidate on his victory.
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