Former President Goodluck Jonathan has accused former United States President, Barack Obama, of plotting his defeat within the 2015 presidential election.
He described the American chief as “overbearing” and “condescending” in his message to Nigerians forward of the polls.
Jonathan, who criticised Obama’s conduct, stated the previous U.S. president displayed “an uncommon stage of bias” in the course of the 2015 election by issuing a public attraction which, in line with him, all however directed Nigerians on the right way to vote.
Based on Jonathan, “On March 23, 2015, President Obama himself took the weird step of releasing a video message on to Nigerians all however telling them the right way to vote.”
Detailing the incident in his new e book, My Transition Hours, which is to be unveiled on Tuesday, Jonathan continued:
“In that video, Obama urged Nigerians to open the ‘subsequent chapter’ by their votes.
Those that understood subliminal language deciphered that he was prodding the citizens to vote for the opposition to kind a brand new authorities.”
Premium Occasions, which obtained a duplicate of the e book forward of the formal launch, reported that Jonathan had stored the work confidential to stop excerpts circulating earlier than publication.
Jonathan ultimately misplaced the 2015 election to Muhammadu Buhari, marking the primary time an incumbent president can be defeated on the polls.
He had assumed workplace in 2010 following the loss of life of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and gained a full time period in 2011.
Forward of the 2015 election, the vote was postponed for six weeks to March 28, a transfer which drew each native and worldwide criticism.
Jonathan famous that his opponents claimed he wished to elongate his keep in energy, an accusation he denied, insisting the postponement was primarily based on safety challenges linked to Boko Haram’s occupation of components of the North-East.
Talking on Obama’s video message, Jonathan stated, “The message was so condescending, it was as if Nigerians didn’t know what to do and wanted an Obama to direct them.”
He additional accused Obama of publicly insisting that Nigerians should be capable to vote freely “with out intimidation or worry”, whereas allegedly being reluctant to permit Nigerian safety forces push Boko Haram out of occupied territories earlier than the election.
He additionally faulted former U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, accusing him of displaying disregard for the Nigerian authorities’s place and failing to acknowledge that suspending the elections was, in his view, needed for nationwide safety.
“How can the U.S. Secretary of State know what’s extra necessary for Nigeria than Nigeria’s personal authorities?
“How might we have now carried out elections when Boko Haram managed components of the North-East and had been killing and maiming Nigerians?” Jonathan stated.
He insisted that regardless of stress, the Nigerian authorities was dedicated to handing over energy on Might 29, 2015, stressing that “No President can lengthen his tenure by in the future beneath the Nigerian Structure.”