Former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has accused former United States President Barack Obama of playing a direct role in orchestrating his defeat during the 2015 presidential election.
In his new memoir titled “My Transition Hours”, which is set to be launched on Tuesday in Abuja, Jonathan claims that Obama displayed an unusual level of interference and bias against his administration in the lead-up to the election that brought Muhammadu Buhari to power.
Jonathan, who described Obama’s actions as “overbearing and condescending,” alleged that the former U.S. president crossed diplomatic boundaries by releasing a video message that subtly urged Nigerians to vote him out of office.
“On March 23, 2015, President Obama himself took the unusual step of releasing a video message directly to Nigerians, all but telling them how to vote,” Jonathan wrote. “In that video, Obama urged Nigerians to open the ‘next chapter’ by their votes. Those who understood the subliminal message could see he was prodding the electorate to vote for the opposition.”
According to excerpts obtained by Premium Times before the official launch, Jonathan explained that he kept the book’s details confidential to prevent premature leaks.
The former president argued that Obama’s remarks were not only inappropriate but also insulting to Nigerians’ intelligence, implying that the electorate needed foreign guidance to make their choice.
“The message was so condescending, it was as if Nigerians did not know what to do and needed an Obama to direct them,” Jonathan said.
He also criticized Obama’s administration for what he termed hypocrisy—accusing the U.S. of preaching about democratic participation while at the same time opposing his government’s efforts to secure territories in the North East from Boko Haram insurgents before the polls.
Jonathan noted that Obama and then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pressured his administration to proceed with the elections despite Boko Haram controlling several parts of the North East and killing innocent Nigerians.
“How could the U.S. Secretary of State know what was more important for Nigeria than Nigeria’s own government?” Jonathan questioned. “How could they have expected us to conduct elections when Boko Haram controlled part of the North East and were killing and maiming our citizens?”
He further revealed that even his assurance of handing over power on May 29, 2015, as stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution, did not calm the concerns of Western leaders, who he claimed were determined to see his government removed.
Jonathan, who became president in 2010 following the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and later won election in 2011, lost the 2015 polls to Muhammadu Buhari — marking the first time an incumbent president was defeated in Nigeria’s democratic history.
His revelations have already sparked renewed debates about foreign interference in African elections and the complex diplomatic pressures faced by African leaders during democratic transitions.
