Goodluck Jonathan: How Barack Obama Plotted My 2015 Election Defeat
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has alleged that former U.S. President Barack Obama played a covert role in orchestrating his defeat during Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election.
In his memoir titled ‘My Transition Hours’, which was officially unveiled in Abuja on a Tuesday, Jonathan detailed how the Obama administration allegedly interfered in Nigeria’s democratic process, showing what he described as “an unusual level of bias” and “a condescending tone” toward his government.
Jonathan, who governed Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, recalled a specific incident in which Obama addressed Nigerians through a video message shortly before the elections. According to him, “On March 23, 2015, President Obama released a direct video message to Nigerians — virtually telling them who to vote for.”
He added that in the video, Obama urged Nigerians to “open the next chapter with their votes,” a phrase which Jonathan said was a subtle endorsement of the opposition. The former Nigerian leader claimed that those who understood the hidden meaning of Obama’s message could easily see where the U.S. president’s loyalty lay.
PulseNets learnt that excerpts from the book revealed how Jonathan kept its contents under wraps to avoid leaks before the official launch.
Jonathan told PulseNets, “The message was so condescending; it portrayed Nigerians as if we lacked the wisdom to make our own choices and needed an Obama to tell us what to do.”
He further criticised Obama’s double standards, noting that while the U.S. president publicly called for free and fair elections, his administration failed to support Nigeria’s military efforts to reclaim territories from Boko Haram insurgents before the polls.
Jonathan also took aim at former U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, accusing him of indifference toward the security realities facing Nigeria at the time. “How could the U.S. Secretary of State claim to know what was best for Nigeria better than the Nigerian government itself?” Jonathan questioned.
He continued, “How were we expected to conduct credible elections when Boko Haram still controlled large parts of the North East, killing and maiming Nigerians daily? Even our firm assurance that we would hand over power on May 29, 2015, could not calm them. Nigeria’s Constitution is clear — no president can extend his tenure by a single day.”
PulseNets reported that Jonathan’s defeat to the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 marked a historic moment, as it was the first time an incumbent Nigerian president lost a re-election bid. Jonathan had earlier completed the tenure of his late predecessor, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, before securing his own mandate in 2011.
Also Read: The GOODIES: Like Obidients, a Goodluck Jonathan Movement Emerges
In his closing reflections, Jonathan asserted that the U.S. intervention tilted global perception against his administration, making his electoral defeat appear inevitable. “I have no regrets about allowing democracy to prevail,” he wrote, “but history will one day reveal the extent of foreign influence in Nigeria’s 2015 transition.”
