Goodluck's ministers dispute his versions of events saying it was they who pressed him to concede defeat

SEVERAL of former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan's ministers have hit back at claims in his recent book that they pressed him to refuse to concede defeat in the 2015 elections saying that his recollection of events is far from the truth.

On Tuesday, at the launch of his memoirs in Abuja Dr Jonathan said that several leading members of his government and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), pushed against the move to accept defeat. However, Dr Jonathan said he turned down the advice from the likes of Dr Okonjo-Iweala, attorney-general Mohammed Adoke, aviation minister Osita Chidoka and his senior special assistant on domestic affairs Warpamowei Dudafa.

 Contained in the book titled My Transition Hours, these revelations provided an insight into what happened in February 2015. However, some ministers who served in Dr Jonathan's cabinet have angrily reacted to the claims with one describing the former president's version of the events as a big lie.

He added: “Let him enjoy the euphoria of his book launch first but those he has defamed will surely respond in due course. President Jonathan, by his latest claims, may finally demystify himself over the concession speech which had elevated his status internationally."

Another former minster described Jonathan’s version of events as most unfair and petty. He added: “The impression the former president is trying to create is that the people came to tell him not to concede. In truth, Jonathan was being persuaded by a former south-south governor not to concede, so some ministers were quickly invited to come and counter the plot.

“What would Okonjo-Iweala, Adoke and Chidoka be doing at the villa at that time if not that something was going wrong? Is Jonathan trying to say he was not involved in Elder Godsday Orubebe’s attempt to disrupt the announcement of the results? Is Jonathan trying to claim innocence of a plot to secure a court injunction to stop Inec from further announcing the results? Jonathan needs to be a man of honour.”

In her own book about the election, Dr Okonjo-Iweala wrote that when she got to the villa on March 31, she found a group of politicians urging Dr Jonathan not to accept defeat and another group asking him to throw in the towel. She wrote: “At the villa, I was met outside the residence by Osita Chidoka, who collected my input for the concession speech and told me the president was in the residence.

"When I entered the villa, the president was in one of the living rooms with the vice president, some advisers, and a group of politicians who were arguing passionately about the conduct of the elections and irregularities of which they said they had evidence, such as videos of underage voting in certain parts of the country. They were urging the president not to concede the election.

“I was immediately drawn into the argument as everyone turned to hear my views and I said I thought the president should concede and do so before the announcement of the vote count was completed. The special assistant to the president on domestic affairs, Dr Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, a politician, whom I expected to side with the politicians, also said he sided with those who thought the president should concede.

“I sat next to the president and whispered to him that if he was going to concede, he probably should do so before the announcement of election results ended.

“Suddenly, he got up and left the room, we all thought he had gone off for a few moments of quiet but he returned about 20 minutes later and sat down without saying a word. I decided to take a chance and press him again on a timely concession. As I whispered again for a second time, the president responded to me out loud coordinating minister of the economy, it is done. I have called president-elect Buhari and conceded.”

Olusegun Adeniyi’s account wrote in his book Against the Run of Play, wrote: “Kneeling in front of Jonathan were his attorney-general Mohammed Bello Adoke, aviation minister Osita Chidoka and special assistant Waripamo-Owei Dudafa. The mission of the three officials was to persuade Jonathan to call and congratulate his opponent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress even as the final results were still being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).

“Chidoka had co-opted Adoke and Dudafa to make the plea after a conversation he had with Jonathan the previous day. The president had acknowledged that the results were going against him and that he was going to concede."