Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reflected on the 2015 general elections, saying his failed re-election bid exposed the deep culture of betrayal in Nigerian politics.
Jonathan spoke in Benin City on Thursday at the 70th birthday celebration of his former Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Aiyegbeni Oghiadomhe.
He described politics in Nigeria as a field where loyalty is rare and politicians frequently shift positions.
“Politics in the Nigerian standard is about betrayals. I witnessed a lot of it during the 2015 election,” Jonathan said, adding that many politicians could not be trusted to keep their word even within a single day.
Despite his misgivings, the former President praised Oghiadomhe as a rare loyalist. “He is somebody you can take his words to the bank. Most politicians you cannot. Oghiadomhe is one person who will take a bullet on my behalf,” Jonathan declared.
Oghiadomhe, who served as Chief of Staff between 2010 and 2014, was celebrated by a roll call of political heavyweights, including Senator Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo governors Lucky Igbinedion and Oserheimen Osunbor, former Gombe governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), and Chief Tom Ikimi.
The event doubled as both a celebration of Oghiadomhe’s political journey and a moment of candid reflection by Jonathan on one of the most turbulent chapters of his career.