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The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has described former President Goodluck Jonathan’s concession of defeat in the 2015 presidential election as a major sacrifice that helped preserve Nigeria’s democracy.
Usman said Jonathan’s decision to accept defeat before the final results were announced prevented the country from sliding into a potentially serious political crisis.
She spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue held in Bauchi on Monday.
According to her, Jonathan’s conduct demonstrated that political power should not be pursued at the expense of national stability or human lives.
Usman said the former President had consistently maintained that neither winning an election nor remaining in office was worth the blood of any Nigerian.
She argued that Jonathan ultimately proved the sincerity of that position when he conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari after the 2015 presidential election.
“Nigeria’s democracy survived the doomsday predictions of bookmakers in 2015 because of President Jonathan’s concession of defeat in that year’s election, even before the final votes were tallied,” she said.
The Labour Party chairman urged politicians seeking elective office in 2027 to learn from Jonathan’s example by respecting democratic rules and placing Nigeria’s interests ahead of personal ambition.
She questioned whether today’s presidential hopefuls would be willing to make comparable sacrifices if confronted with circumstances that tested their commitment to peace and democracy.
Usman expressed concern over what she described as increasingly inflammatory rhetoric emanating from political camps ahead of the 2027 elections.
She said politicians must recognise that the survival of Nigeria’s democracy depends not only on winning elections but also on how political actors respond to victory and defeat.
The LP chairman also used the occasion to project her party as a major force in the next general elections, describing the Labour Party as the country’s most structured opposition platform.
“The Labour Party is the most structured political party in Nigeria going into the next general elections,” she said.
Usman cited the constitutional relationship between the Labour Party and the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress as a major source of strength for the party.
She argued that the combined influence of the two labour bodies gave the LP a strong grassroots network with which to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress.
She further called on opposition parties considering a coalition ahead of 2027 to integrate their structures into the Labour Party.
The democracy dialogue, organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, was themed, “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?”
The event brought together former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, among other political and traditional leaders.
