How God Saved Me From Political Death – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said God did not allow corruption allegations levelled against him to send him to political oblivion.

Jonathan stated this on Tuesday while speaking at a book presentation of “Dear President Goodluck Jonathan”, a book written in his honour by Bonaventure Melah, a former managing editor of Daily Times,

Recall that Jonathan who lost his re-election bid in 2015 had conceded defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made a final pronouncement on the exercise.

Speaking at the presentation, Jonathan noted that members of his administration are still being tagged “corrupt people” by the Buhari government.

“That is the problem myself and some members of my cabinet are still suffering since the beginning this administration when we were all tagged corrupt people,” he said.

“But I thank God that people can come together to celebrate me today. It is God. Otherwise, I would have been completely buried (politically).”

House of Reps vs Oteh

Jonathan, a former Bayelsa State Governor, narrated how he was advised to sack Aruma Oteh as the director-general of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2012 to avoid trouble with the House of Representatives.

According to him, some of his associates had suggested the removal of Oteh in order to appease the federal lawmakers whom Oteh had accused of corruption.

Oteh, who was at the helm of affairs at SEC from 2010 to 2015, had at the time alleged that the leadership of the house committee on capital market solicited N44 million bribe from SEC.

The allegation had ruffled feathers at the national assembly with Herman Hembe, then chairman of the committee, accusing her of offering him N30 million.

“When my close political allies, advised me to sacrifice Arunma Oteh so that I don’t have problems with the house of representatives,” he said.

“I said I won’t sacrifice any Nigerian just for me to be in the good books of the lawmakers. Rather, I would sacrifice myself. I took that decision because I was convinced she was not corrupt.

“If I had sacked her undeservedly that may have been the end of her career with the World Bank.”