Immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has sensationally revealed why he conceded defeat to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.
Jonathan said his decision to concede defeat to Buhari was informed by the fact that he was “inspired to lead by his conscience.”
He made this disclosure at the World Peace Summit currently holding in Malaysia.
Delivering a paper titled, “Conscience Based Leadership: The Secret to Global Peace and Security,” Jonathan recalled how he once declared that his “political ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”
Even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the results of the 2015 presidential election in 2015, Jonathan had telephoned his main opponent in the election, congratulating him for the victory and conceding defeat in the process.
Jonathan said: “Since you specifically invited me to share my experience as a political leader and President, with the forum, I will, therefore, like to mention some of the things I did in office, to build a peaceful society.
“I can confidently say that in all my public life, I was inspired to lead by conscience. This is in agreement with my personal philosophy which I first proclaimed while running for the office of the Governor of my home state Bayelsa in 2006, and re-echoed when I ran for the office of the President of Nigeria in 2011 and 2015.
“Then, I made it clear that my political ambition is not worth the blood of anybody. Ever since I said that in November of 2006 in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, I have always lived by it. This philosophy informed my 12 decision to concede the 2015 Presidential election, even while the results were still being collated.”