My cabinet members feared being jailed by Buhari – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has opened up about a remarkable chapter in Nigerian politics. In an enlightening interview with Arise TV on Monday, May 29, he revealed the atmosphere of uncertainty and concern that permeated his cabinet when Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the victor in the 2015 presidential election.

Despite the prevailing sense of trepidation among his team, Jonathan made a resolute decision: he would not flee the country but stay steadfast. He recounted the palpable fear that some of his ministers and senior officers harbored, fearing the possibility of arbitrary imprisonment without due process under the new government.

Describing the prevailing tension during the transition period, Jonathan emphasized the stark contrast between his experience and the comparatively smoother transition witnessed under Buhari’s administration.

“In my own time especially in the 2015 elections, my ministers, my senior officers, people who worked with me; there was this fear that having lost the election, what would be our fate? Would the new government just throw all of us into jail without giving a fair hearing? Because government is next to the court and can decide to do anything.

“By this time, I already conceded defeat. And I knew why I conceded defeat, because I was more interested in the country than myself, he said