What Happened After I Lost 2015 Election As Incumbent President To Buhari — Jonathan
2 min read
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has spoken about losing the 2015 presidential election.
Jonathan has admitted that it was a tough moment in his political life.
According to him, it felt as if the whole world was against him.
He made the confession in Abuja at the 1st Raymond Dokpesi Annual Diamond Lecture, organised by the management of Daar Communications in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
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Jonathan, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, was defeated in the 2015 election by the All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
The former military dictator polled 15,424,921 votes, relegating the ex-president, who garnered only 12,853,162 votes, to second place.
The election marked the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria.
Beaming with a smile as he addressed the audience on Friday, Jonathan said the emotional torment he experienced was inexplicable.
The former Bayelsa deputy governor also recounted the fatherly role the Chairman of Daar Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, played before he officially handed over to Buhari.
He said, “It is not easy to lose an election as a president. You will think the whole world is against you. But then, Dokpesi invited me before I handed over. I remember what he said to me when I lost the election.
“There were so many senior Nigerians (elder statesmen) who spoke. After I listened to all the conversations, he congratulated me and encouraged me to look beyond the election. This is how I commemorated that session.
“That communication gave me hope and helped me not necessarily for the transition hour ahead of me but also in my spiritual life as a private citizen. If you read my book, My Transition Hours, I explain it more elaborately.”
