Isaac Samuel
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has questioned the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior political office holders and other influential political actors during the recent Osun State governorship election.
Jonathan, while commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and voters for the peaceful conduct of the August 15 election, raised concerns over what he described as an emerging trend in political conduct during off-cycle elections.
He said the growing practice of serving governors, senior political leaders and government functionaries converging on states where elections are being conducted, accompanied by large numbers of aides and heavy security details from outside the state, required national attention.
Jonathan said the conduct witnessed around the recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states was unusual and should not become normal in a democratic society.
The former president recalled that similar situations occurred during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections when he was president.
According to him, after being briefed about the presence of senior political leaders in the states, he ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the affected states.
He described the emerging practice as “unwholesome”, warning that if left unchecked, it could threaten Nigeria’s fragile democracy and have serious implications for democratic stability.
Jonathan acknowledged the right of political parties to campaign, mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate party structures, saying such activities were essential to democracy.
However, he said there was a point at which political mobilisation, particularly the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day, could create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure.
He asked whether the increasing deployment of political power and large-scale mobilisation by senior office holders in states holding elections was consistent with the spirit of free, fair and peaceful democratic competition.
“This hardly happens in other democratic countries,” Jonathan said while warning that Nigeria must not allow political competition to become a contest in which victory was perceived as something that must be achieved at all costs.
He also raised concerns about the precedent being created, asking what would happen if governors from opposing political parties began descending on every state holding a competitive election.
Jonathan said the resulting competition could see political parties seeking to match political power with political power, governmental influence with governmental influence, and mobilisation with counter-mobilisation.
“Such a development would not strengthen our democracy. It would deepen political tensions and could make elections increasingly resemble battles for political survival rather than peaceful contests for the mandate of the people,” he said.
The former president urged that the issue should not be treated as a partisan dispute over the Osun election, but as a broader national question concerning the future of Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
He called on the National Peace Committee to convene a stakeholders’ engagement to examine emerging practices around elections and agree on standards that would protect democracy and preserve peace.
Jonathan said the meeting should bring together the leadership of registered political parties, INEC, relevant security agencies, the National Assembly, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media.
He said the National Peace Committee was well positioned to lead the conversation because of the confidence and moral authority it had built in bringing political leaders together during periods of national tension.
According to him, an early national conversation would help establish appropriate boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices considered unusual today become accepted as normal in future elections.
