Elections: Go and Sleep or do business if you didn’t win, Jonathan advice politicians

Goodluck Jonathan, a former president, advised politicians who came in second in the presidential and National Assembly elections as well as those who might not be successful in their goals in the upcoming governorship and state assembly elections to think about starting a business or pursuing other interests.

The former President also described how, having never wished to serve in that position, he nearly cried after being chosen as Vice President in the 2007 presidential election.

In case you forgot, Jonathan was late President Musa Yar’Adua’s running partner. The two of them succeeded former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar. After Yar’Adua passed away in May 2010, Jonathan took over as president.

He advised politicians to conduct themselves peacefully during and after the 2023 elections.

Jonathan stated this when he paid a condolence visit to governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State over the death of his father at Sampou Community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.

“As a leader in the country who had the privilege of serving at the state level and national level, I can only advise that politics is not about that you must be there. If God wants you to be there, you will be there. If it is not yet your turn to be there, you will not be there. When I became a vice president I almost cried, I never wanted to, but that was my destiny and I had to move.

“So, I advise people who are interested in these offices and their supporters to conduct themselves very well. They want to serve us, not to serve themselves.

“I always tell people that if you are so ambitious, then go into business. If you want to be in the state assembly and people don’t want you, fine, go and sleep. You want to be a governor and people don’t want you, go and sleep or do business.

“But if you want to serve us as people then you must be humble and you will not kill us before you serve us. So, people must conduct themselves peacefully and if God wants them to win their elections, they will win their elections,” Jonathan said.

Before the 2007 general elections, Jonathan, who was the Governor of Bayelsa State, was chosen as Yar’Adua as running mate in the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They won the election and he served as the Vice President for three years before the passing of Yar’Adua.

Following the death of Yar-Adua, Jonathan became the President and completed the tenure. He contested the 2011 election and was elected to serve for another four years. He, however, lost his reelection to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.