Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has opened up about the profound emotional impact of his 2015 election loss, sharing his experience at the inaugural Raymond Dokpesi Annual Diamond Lecture held on Friday, October 25, in Abuja.
Organized by Daar Communications and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the event honored the late media mogul Raymond Dokpesi, who passed away in May 2023.
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, recounted feelings of deep isolation after his defeat.
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“It is not easy to lose an election as a president. You will think the whole world is against you,” he said. Jonathan lost his bid for a second term as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), becoming the first sitting Nigerian president to lose a re-election bid.
The former president gained widespread respect for graciously conceding to Buhari even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially announced the results.
At Friday’s event, he shared how Dokpesi, a trusted advisor and friend, reached out in his time of need, providing him with strength and encouragement.
“Dokpesi invited me before I handed over. I remember what he said to me when I lost the election… After I listened to all the conversations, he congratulated me and encouraged me to look beyond the election,” Jonathan recalled.
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Dokpesi’s counsel, Jonathan noted, was a source of comfort during his transition from public office to private life, offering him the “spiritual strength” he needed in a challenging period.
He later expanded on these experiences in his memoir, *My Transition Hours*, providing readers with a detailed account of his journey following the historic election loss.
The lecture celebrated Dokpesi’s legacy, with Jonathan’s testimony underscoring the late media icon’s influence and his lasting impact on Nigerian politics and media.