Former President Goodluck Jonathan has accused ex–U.S. President Barack Obama of playing a key role in his defeat during Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election.
Jonathan made the claim in his new book titled “My Transition Hours,” which is set for public presentation on Tuesday.
In excerpts obtained by Premium Times, Jonathan described Obama’s conduct during the 2015 polls as “overbearing and condescending,” alleging that the American leader displayed an unusual level of bias.
“On March 23, 2015, President Obama himself took the unusual step of releasing a video message directly to Nigerians all but telling them how to vote,” Jonathan wrote.
He added that Obama’s call for Nigerians to “open the next chapter” by their votes was a subtle message urging citizens to elect the opposition.
“Those who understood subliminal language deciphered that he was prodding the electorate to vote for the opposition to form a new government,” Jonathan said.
The former president, who lost to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general election, said the video message was “so condescending, it was as if Nigerians did not know what to do and needed an Obama to direct them.”
Jonathan further criticized Obama for calling for free and fair elections while opposing Nigeria’s decision to strengthen military operations against Boko Haram in the North East ahead of the polls.
He also accused former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of showing little regard for his administration’s concerns.
“How can the U.S. Secretary of State know what is more important for Nigeria than Nigeria’s own government? How could they have expected us to conduct elections when Boko Haram controlled part of the North East and were killing and maiming Nigerians?” he asked.
Jonathan maintained that the postponement of the 2015 election was necessary for national security and insisted that his government had no intention of extending his tenure.
“Not even the assurance of the sanctity of May 29, 2015, handover date could calm them down. In Nigeria, the Constitution is very clear: No President can extend his tenure by one day,” he stated.