Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians to hold an urgent national discussion over what he described as a worrying pattern of political conduct surrounding off-cycle governorship elections.
Jonathan warned that allowing the trend to continue could have serious consequences for the country’s democratic system and the way future elections are conducted.
The former president, who was in office from 2010 to 2015, made the call in a statement issued after the recent governorship election in Osun State.
While praising the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and residents of Osun for the generally peaceful conduct of the election, he said some developments surrounding the poll deserved closer attention.
Jonathan raises concern over election-day mobilisation
A major issue highlighted by Jonathan was the increasing presence of serving governors, senior government officials and influential political figures who travel to states during elections, often accompanied by large entourages and security personnel.
He noted that similar situations had been witnessed during elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states.
According to the former president, such practices could create an intimidating atmosphere and should not gradually become accepted as normal in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“There is a point at which political mobilisation, particularly when it involves the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day, can create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure,” he said.
Jonathan recalled that he encountered similar circumstances during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections.
He said that after being informed about the presence of party leaders and senior government officials in those states, he directed them to leave immediately.
The former president warned that failing to address the current practice could encourage rival political parties to deploy increasingly large numbers of officials and supporters during competitive elections.
He said such a development could transform elections into demonstrations of political strength rather than genuine contests based on the wishes of voters.
Jonathan asks National Peace Committee to intervene
Jonathan also called on the National Peace Committee to organise a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the issue as soon as possible.
He described the committee as well positioned to facilitate the conversation because of its previous role in bringing political actors together during periods of heightened political tension.
The former president suggested that the proposed engagement should involve the leadership of registered political parties, INEC, security agencies, leaders of the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society groups and the media.
“An early national conversation can help us establish appropriate boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices that are unusual today become accepted as normal tomorrow,” Jonathan said.
He stressed that his comments should not be interpreted as an attack on any political party or as a challenge specifically targeted at the outcome of the Osun election.
Instead, Jonathan presented the issue as part of a broader conversation about the future of Nigeria’s electoral democracy and the responsibility of public officials to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
See the post below:
OSUN AND THE NEED TO SET NEW BOUNDARIES FOR POLITICAL CONDUCT IN OFF-CYCLE ELECTIONS
The outcome of the recent governorship election in Osun State demonstrates that, despite the challenges confronting our democracy, we possess the capacity to conduct elections in a manner that…
— Goodluck E. Jonathan (@GEJonathan) August 18, 2026
