2011 Election: Jonathan Blasts Former US Ambassador Over False Allegation

Former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has in a recent statement reiterates that he did not rig his way into the leadership of Nigeria in the 2011 presidential election.

Naija News understands that the ex-President faults the claims of a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, that he rigged the 2011 presidential election which he emerged victorious to lead the country for four years, excluding his leftover year from the late President Musa Yar’ Aduwa led administration.

Reacting to the insinuations by the former US Ambassador, Jonathan’s media spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, in a writeup titled ‘2011 Elections and John Campbell’s Distorted Postulations,’ noted that the 2011 presidential election which saw Goodluck Jonathan into victory was a credible, transparent, free and fair electoral process.

According to Ikechukwu, the 2011 presidential election received commendations from both local and international observers including the Commonwealth Election Monitoring Group and even the US contingent of both the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.

He further described the election as the most credible and transparent electoral process in the country since the civil rule began in 1999.

He said, “Former President Jonathan is known for his ‘one man, one vote, one woman, one vote, one youth one vote’ policy. Before the 2011 elections, he said ‘my ambition is not worth the blood of any citizen’ and was indeed guided by that creed throughout the process. He is also on record to have publicly called on members of the Peoples Democratic Party not to even attempt to rig for him, stating that he was a pencil in God’s hands.”

“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.”

“Perhaps this is the time to remind Campbell and other wheeling and dealing consultants like him that Nigerians have placed the 2011 elections behind them and are no longer in a position to welcome those who have nothing but sophistry to offer our citizens! As our own inimitable Fela would say, ‘Mr Teacher don’t teach us nonsense.”

Jonathan’s aide pointed out that Campbell was nothing but a ‘figure of ridicule’ who has been posing himself as a ‘Nigeria expert’ at the Council for Foreign Relations.

“How he can continue to make pretensions to be an expert on Nigeria, beats our imagination. Besides serving as a diplomat in his country’s embassy in our dear country, what other competencies does Campbell possess to qualify as a Nigeria expert?” Ikechukwu added.

Meanwhile, in another report, the United States government is already putting plans in place to evacuate its citizens in Nigeria as a result of the coronavirus outbreak Naija News understands.