By Samuel Oyejola
In 2010 while Nigeria was preparing up for the 2011 general elections in the wake of the issue of Acting President Jonathan taking over as substantive president of the country, not far away in the sub region, tension was mounting in French speaking Ivory Coast as a result of the election that saw the opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara wining ahead of the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo who despite international pressure refused to hand over power.
The outbreak of civil war in that country and Gbagbo’s shameful arrest and handing over to the International Criminal Court for prosecution along with his wife is nopw history.
Also 10 years ago, a think tank in America had predicted that the entity called Nigeria today would break up come 2015. The prediction as expected was not received well in Nigeria but all actions and development pointed towards its realization. With the aggression and desperate moves of the campaign organization of the PDP and the character assassination and hate speeches towards the candidate of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari, the shadow of the prediction loomed over Nigeria.
As the elections approached pockets of violence were visible in various parts of the country. Boko Haram was ravaging in the north east, with serious unrest brewing in the south-south as the vociferous Asari Dokubo spit venom if President Jonathan loses. Also, happenings in the south-south state of Rivers also pointed towards a violent election.
However, President Goodluck Jonathan made history when prior to the announcement of the results from three states and the final result by the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, he made a call to his opponent, congratulating him as the winner of the election.
In the global perspective this would have been said to be the norm and standard but in a continent where sit tight syndrome is common and the likes of Laurent Gbagbo are all over the continent, Jonathan laid a good example for heads of government in Africa. He toed the line of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1979 who handed over to democratically elected President and General Abdulsalam Abubakar who also did the same in 1999 when they both had excuses to stay put in power.
The uncommon gesture of Jonathan had gotten him global accolades and added another feather to the democratic process in the country, serving as a good precedent for other countries on the continent to emulate. In a release by the White House, President Barack Obama said that Jonathan hax placed his country’s interests first by conceding the election and congratulating President-elect Buhari on his victory.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, who also commended Jonathan, said his leadership qualities throughout the electoral process and his statesmanship in upholding the democratic process depicts that Nigeria is developing democratically.
Also, the Chairman of ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments and the President of Ghana, President John Mahama, described the action of Jonathan as that of a statesman.
This simple act of conceding to the winner of the election by Jonathan would make him a toast within the comity of nations. He would be regarded as statesman who could be asked to take charge of foreign missions.
As the giant of Africa and one time leader of the country, Jonathan would be in the best position to encourage and negotiate peaceful handover of power to winners of elections in other countries of Africa where the incumbent is reluctant to hand over.
