Why I’m Disappointing Most Of My Political Associates – Goodluck Jonathan

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has stated that his continued absence from active and partisan politics is due to his membership in the West African Elders Forum (WAEF).

Naija News reports that Jonathan made this known in Abuja during an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) on Thursday, themed “Legacy of Impact, Celebrating Our Journey.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the event also featured a gala dinner held in celebration of Jonathan’s 68th birthday.

Giving reasons for his absence from active politics and disappointing his political associates, who expected him to play an active role, Jonathan said WAEF membership comes with a strict condition of non-partisanship.

He described the forum as a preventive diplomacy initiative composed of former heads of state who visit countries within the sub-region during elections to mediate and prevent crises arising from poorly managed polls.

He said, “The idea is, yes, we observe the elections, but we are not co-observers. We go there to make sure that if we notice anything negative emerging, we intervene and try to see what we can do so that those issues do not snowball into a full crisis.

“The condition to be a member of the WAEF is that you must be a former president within the sub-region and a former president of ECOWAS. One clear condition is that you will no longer be an active politician, and that is why I am disappointing most of my political associates. They expect me to play an active role in politics, but before I do, I must first resign from the WAEF.”