Former President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that the tolerance of Nigerians toward political misdeeds contributes to the persistent bad behaviour among the nation’s leaders. He emphasized that for the country to progress, citizens must collectively demand accountability from their elected officials.
Speaking at the book launch of former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, in Abuja on Tuesday, February 18, Jonathan stressed that the political class will only change when Nigerians refuse to accept corruption and poor governance. “We, Nigerians, celebrate the wrong thing,” Jonathan said. “And I believe one day, the country will get to the level where people will reject bad behaviour. And when we get to the level that we reject bad behaviour, this issue will not happen again.”
Jonathan expressed hope that Nigeria would eventually evolve into a nation where political leaders are held accountable for their actions. He elaborated, “I believe one day, we all Nigerians will say we no longer accept the wrong thing. And the day we all collectively say we no longer accept the wrong thing, we, the political class, will behave normally. People must reject us if we behave wrongly.”
The former president also suggested that Nigeria’s future might involve remembering those who contributed negatively to the country’s development. “Maybe one day, we will have two big buildings in Abuja where we will put pictures of people—whether dead or alive—who have messed up this country so that their grandchildren will know their forefathers were part of Nigeria’s problems,” he said.
In addition to his comments on political behaviour, Jonathan voiced concerns over the military’s involvement in election security, which has been a contentious issue in Nigeria. He stated that the involvement of the military in day-to-day election management overstretches its responsibilities, stressing that elections should primarily be managed by the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Jonathan explained that, in many other countries, the military is only tasked with logistical support, such as transporting election materials to areas of conflict, and not directly managing polling stations. “In most other countries, the military doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day management of elections,” Jonathan said. “Some countries use them to manage strategic systems, such as transporting election materials to dangerous areas. But manning polling booths and staying around polling stations—military personnel are never used for such duties.”
He shared his experience from a recent trip to Botswana, noting that the country used its police force for election duties, while the military was tasked with securing government facilities. “I just came back from Botswana some months back during the election,” Jonathan recalled. “It’s a very small country with a small population, so almost all the police officers were used for the election. The military took over the regular duties that the police officers were doing, including securing the police headquarters.”
Jonathan also pointed to Senegal as an example of a country with a straightforward electoral process, where the military was not involved in overseeing polling stations. “Go to a country like Senegal, which is a West African country, their election last year,” Jonathan said. “They use the simplest form of voting. In fact, there was a table there. They put the ballot box for every candidate. And you, the voter, you go and you just go and pick.”
According to Jonathan, the simplicity of Senegal’s election process—without the need for armed security at polling stations—shows that it is possible to hold credible elections without relying on the military. “You don’t see any police. The electoral management officers, polling agents and so on were just sitting there and watching. The police were outside because they used secondary schools and primary schools as polling stations,” he explained. “That is a standard in so many countries. But here, we fully do the wrong thing.”
Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, also spoke at the event, reinforcing Jonathan’s views on the need for proper leadership to ensure free and fair elections. He stated that the credibility of an election largely depends on the leadership in charge at the time. Obi emphasized that a free and fair election is achievable if the right individuals are involved in overseeing the electoral process.
