The former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has denied allegations made by former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, in a recent media report, where he claims that the 2011 presidential elections that earned Jonathan his first official term in office, was rigged.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, the former president said, “Campbell styles himself as a ‘Nigeria expert’ at the Council for Foreign Relations, but in truth, he is regarded as a figure of ridicule in Nigeria for his postulations, which have repeatedly and consistently proven to be way off the mark.” He also added that outside his role as a diplomat, Campbell had no other qualifications that made him a reliable expert on Nigeria and its elections.
Noting that the 2011 presidential election was adjudged by both local and international observers, including the Commonwealth Election Monitoring Group, the US contingent of both the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, Jonathan’s statement cited an earlier statement made by Commonwealth Election Observer Group. After the elections, the former Botswana President, Festus Mogae, reportedly said: “Previously held notions that Nigeria can only hold flawed elections are now being discarded and this country can now shake off that stigma and redeem its image.”
Jonathan also recalled a unanimous Supreme Court decision that also declared him the winner of the polls after the result was contested in court by his then opponent and now President Muhammadu Buhari. “It is important to note that this was a seven-man panel and there was no dissenting judgment. The verdict had no such precedent in Nigeria’s political history,” Jonathan added.
Responding to Campbell’s claims of rigging in the North, Jonathan pointed out the irony in that statement considering that he scored only 16 per cent and 15 per cent of votes in Bauchi and Kano states, the states Campbell references on his allegation. He further urged the former diplomat to focus on the future and leave the past behind, stating: “There is no doubt that Nigerians above 45 years witnessed the past six presidential elections in the country- 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 – and are in a better position than Campbell to objectively appraise the processes. Today, our compatriots are focusing on such issues as electronic voting and complete independence of the electoral body INEC, as a way of strengthening our democracy, ahead of the next general elections. Anyone who means well for the country’s democracy should rather focus his attention on perspectives that could illuminate this path, not offer jaundiced and self-serving opinions on a settled past..”
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
