Jonathan praised for 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

 – 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.

“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.

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