Pro-subsidy protesters would have sacked me – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday said he would have ceased to be the president of Nigeria during the protests that greeted the initial removal of fuel subsidy by his administration in January this year. The President said aggrieved Nigerians would have sacked him from office while the protest lasted. Jonathan spoke in Freetown, Sierra Leone, when he met with the chairman of the country’s National Electoral Commission, Mrs.  Christiana Thorpe, and chairmen as well as  presidential candidates of political parties contesting the country’s general elections on November 17.

The President said the only thing that saved him from removal during the impasse was because he emerged President in a free and fair election through the genuine mandate of the voters.

He therefore advised stakeholders in Sierra Leone to work towards ensuring a free and fair election devoid of manipulation.

He said, “In Nigeria, I remember the fuel subsidy crisis all over the country, I could have been removed but I was confident of my mandate.

“When some people started talking of regime change, majority of the people who voted for me insisted that they elected me and what they were asking for was change of policy, not regime change; and that calmed down the situation.

“Credible elections give you the mandate of the people and confidence too. It is difficult to calm people down when elections are manipulated.”

Jonathan said he could not have had the boldness and moral ground to preach free and fair poll in Sierra Leone if elections under his watch in Nigeria were marred with malpractices.

“If we had manipulated elections in Nigeria, I would not have had the courage to come and confront you. If I had manipulated myself into office, there is no way I would come and sell to you what I do not have,” he said.

He asked Sierra Leone’s ruling party, the All Peoples Congress, to ensure a level playing field that would bring about acceptable elections as the party stands to reap immensely in terms of credibility from such action.

He pledged more of Nigeria’s assistance towards successful elections in Sierra Leone.

Source: Punch