Follow Us on Google
From Idu Jude, Abuja
National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has urged Nigerian politicians to emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan’s approach to politics, particularly his decision to concede defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
Usman spoke with journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue, which was held in the state capital.
She said Nigeria’s democracy survived predictions of a crisis in 2015 because Jonathan conceded defeat before the final results of the election were announced.
According to Usman, Jonathan had consistently maintained during his presidency that neither his election nor his retention of power was worth the blood of any Nigerian.
She said the former President demonstrated his commitment to the principle when he accepted the outcome of the 2015 election and transferred power peacefully.
Usman urged politicians seeking elective office in 2027 to abide by the rules and place the interest of the country above personal political ambitions.
She said Nigerians practising democracy today were beneficiaries of sacrifices made by previous political leaders, particularly Jonathan.
Other News
Usman questioned whether politicians seeking the presidency in 2027 would be prepared to make similar sacrifices in the interest of the country, given what she described as inflammatory rhetoric emanating from political camps.
She cited an aphorism associated with American investor Warren Buffett, that someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
On the Labour Party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections, Usman said the party was the most structured opposition political party in the country.
She said the Labour Party’s relationship with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which she said are constitutional members of the party, gave it an advantage over other opposition parties.
Usman said the Labour Party was positioned to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election. She also called on political parties seeking to form a coalition ahead of 2027 to collapse their structures into the Labour Party.
According to her, the Labour Party remains the only opposition party with a realistic presence across the country’s 186,000 polling stations.
The 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue was themed “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?”
The event attracted former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President and founder of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, former Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, APC Deputy National Chairman, South, Dr Ben Nwoye, and the Emir of Bauchi, HRM Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, CFR, among others.
