Former President Goodluck Jonathan has raised the alarm over the growing influx of serving governors, senior political office holders and powerful party leaders into states holding off-cycle elections, warning that the trend could undermine Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
Jonathan, who spoke against the backdrop of the recent Osun governorship election, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun State for what he described as the peaceful conduct of the poll.
But the former president said the conduct of some political actors surrounding the election had raised serious national concerns, particularly the deployment of large numbers of political aides and security personnel from outside the state.
He said similar developments were witnessed during the governorship elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states, describing the trend as “unusual” and warning that it must not become the new normal in Nigeria’s electoral politics.
Jonathan recalled that during his tenure as president, similar situations emerged during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections.
“Upon being briefed, I ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the states immediately,” he said.
According to him, political parties have every right to campaign, mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate party structures, but there must be limits to the involvement of serving public officials on election day.
He warned that the overwhelming presence of governors and other powerful political actors could create an atmosphere of “apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure.”
Jonathan said Nigeria must urgently ask whether the deployment of political power and government influence during elections was compatible with the principles of free, fair and peaceful democratic competition.
“This trend is unwholesome. If left unchecked, it could threaten our fragile democracy and have serious long-term implications for democratic stability,” he warned.
The former president also cautioned against turning elections into contests in which victory is pursued “at all costs,” saying such an approach could gradually transform democratic contests into battles for political survival.
He questioned what would happen if governors from opposing parties began descending on every state holding a competitive election, with rival political forces matching governmental influence with governmental influence.
“Such a development would not strengthen our democracy. It would deepen political tensions and could make elections increasingly resemble battles for political survival rather than peaceful contests for the mandate of the people,” Jonathan said.
Rather than treating the issue as a partisan controversy arising from the Osun election, he urged political leaders to see it as a broader national question concerning the future of Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
Jonathan said former and serving public officials had a greater responsibility to ensure that their actions strengthened democratic institutions rather than created fear or apprehension among political opponents and citizens.
He therefore called on the National Peace Committee (NPC) to urgently convene a national stakeholders’ engagement to examine emerging practices surrounding off-cycle elections and establish acceptable boundaries for political conduct.
The proposed meeting, he said, should involve the leadership of registered political parties, INEC, relevant security agencies, the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), civil society organisations and the media.
“I believe that the National Peace Committee is particularly well placed to lead this conversation because of the confidence and moral authority it has built over the years in bringing political leaders together at moments of national tension,” he said.
Jonathan argued that an early national conversation would help Nigeria establish clear standards before practices considered unusual today become accepted political norms tomorrow.
The former president, who is also Founder and Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), stressed that the objective should not be to restrict legitimate political mobilisation but to safeguard peaceful competition and public confidence in the electoral process.
He said Nigeria must draw a line between legitimate political participation and the overwhelming deployment of political power around elections if the country is to preserve the credibility and stability of its democracy.
