Breaking: Ex-President Blasts Okpebholo, Ododo, Other APC Govs For Storming Osun During 2026 Poll
- Former President Goodluck Jonathan raised alarm over the growing practice of serving governors and senior officials converging on states during off-cycle elections
- Jonathan referenced the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti elections, saying he personally ordered party leaders to leave those states when similar situations arose during his presidency
- The ex-president called on the National Peace Committee to urgently convene a stakeholders' meeting to set clear boundaries for political conduct around elections
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for an urgent national conversation about what he described as a troubling pattern of political behaviour around off-cycle governorship elections, warning that the trend could damage Nigeria's democratic foundations if left unaddressed.
Jonathan, who served as president from 2010 to 2015, made the appeal in a signed statement following the recent governorship election in Osun State.
Source: Twitter
While commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties, and the people of Osun State for the peaceful conduct of the poll, he warned that certain behaviours surrounding the vote deserve serious scrutiny.
Jonathan's concern about election-day deployments
At the centre of his concern is the increasing habit of serving governors, senior public officials, and influential party figures travelling from across the country to states holding elections, often accompanied by large numbers of aides and heavy security details.
Jonathan said this pattern was visible in Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states, and called it unusual conduct that should not be allowed to become standard practice in Nigerian democracy.
"There is a point at which political mobilisation, particularly when it involves the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day, can create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure," he said.
Jonathan revealed that he faced similar situations during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections. On both occasions, he said he ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the states immediately after being briefed about their presence.
He warned that if the current trend continues unchecked, opposing parties would eventually begin matching each other's deployments in every competitive election, turning polls into shows of political force rather than genuine contests for the people's mandate.
Call for a National Peace Committee meeting
Jonathan urged the National Peace Committee to convene a stakeholders' engagement as soon as possible, describing it as the body best placed to lead such a conversation given its track record of bringing political leaders together during moments of tension.
He said the meeting should include the leadership of all registered political parties, INEC, relevant security agencies, the National Assembly leadership, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Governors' Forum, civil society organisations, and the media.
"An early national conversation can help us establish appropriate boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices that are unusual today become accepted as normal tomorrow," Jonathan said.
He was clear that the issue should not be read as a partisan attack on any party or on the Osun election outcome specifically, framing it instead as a broader question about the direction of Nigeria's electoral democracy and the responsibilities that come with holding public office.
Osun election: Oyebamiji decries post-election violence
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Bola Oyebamiji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the Osun election, raised an alarm over what he described as a growing wave of violence targeting APC members and supporters in the days following the poll.
In a statement addressed to APC members, leaders, and supporters across the state, Oyebamiji said that attacks which began before the election had intensified significantly within the 24 hours after results were declared.
Source: Legit.ng
