US centre praises Goodluck Jonathan for ‘classy role’ in presidential election

– In “Africa Year Review 2015”, produced by the Wilson Centre in the USA, two prominent scholars wrote on Nigeria’s election

– They described the poll as “the most important story of 2015″ in Africa

– Goodluck Jonathan was applauded for his “classy role” in the president election

Former president Goodluck Jonathan has been again applauded for his “classy role” in the 2015 president election which marks a significant milestone in the country’s democracy.

After losing the election, Jonathan congratulated his opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, and conducted a smooth transition of power.

In “Africa Year Review 2015” produced by the Wilson Centre in the USA, two prominent scholars wrote on Nigeria’s election and described it as “the most important story of 2015″ in Africa.

The Wilson Center is reputed as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue.

Nii Akuetteh, the executive director of the African Immigrants Caucus (AIC), noted that if Jonathan had not handled the election well, there could have been violence as usually witnessed in Africa.

READ ALSO: Goodluck Jonathan Named ‘Person Of The Year’ Once Again

“Clearly, Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election represents refreshing change. Unsure? Recall the country’s dismal track record: coups, a brutal secessionist civil war, assassinations, and violent, dirty elections polarized along regional, sectarian, and ethnic fault lines.

“Additionally, that change is weighty. Peacefully forcing a hand-over of power is a big deal in any country. Nor is Nigeria just any country,” he wrote.

According to Akuetteh, thanks to Jonathan the turnover of power was smoothly and another potential havoc was avoided in the country.

He quoted Jonathan as telling him after the election: “Had serious post-election disturbances erupted, Nigerian refugees flooding Ghana would have exceeded your entire population.”

Akuetteh noted that Nigeria’s embrace of democracy and Jonathan’s classy role define Africa’s most important and uplifting story of 2015.

The Cable reports that Olusegun Sotola, a senior researcher with the Nigerian think tank Initiative for Public Policy Analysis and member of the Southern Voices Network, a Carnegie Corporation of New York-funded programme of the Wilson Center, has a similar opinion.

READ ALSO: Former governor reveals what would have happened if Jonathan had beaten Buhari

According to him, Nigeria’s historic election marks a significant milestone in the country’s democracy and signposts several emerging positive trends in Africa.

“First, given Nigeria’s stature in the region, the willingness of the incumbent to concede power and not manipulate the process matters a great deal.

“African leaders are known for attempting to manipulate the electoral process to lengthen their stay in office. The electoral histories of African countries are replete with post-election violence caused by the unwillingness of the ruling party or the incumbent to relinquish power.

“That an entrenched power bloc would acquiesce to its loss in an election without engineering violence suggests a new robustness of Nigerian democracy and provides a strong practical example for African leaders.

“At least 17 African countries will hold elections this year. The outcome of the 2015 Nigerian election should serve as a benchmark for these other coming elections, especially those which the incumbent is contesting,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Goodluck Jonathan has been nominated for the ‘Person of the Year Award’ by  The African Leadership Magazine.

According to Ken Giami, the publisher of the magazine, the nominees were shortlisted from distinguished Africa business owners, political and diplomatic leaders who have contributed to making the continent great in the year under review.

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