Jonathan Responds To Atiku, Defends Presidency Record

Jonathan rejects Atiku’s criticism of inexperience, defends his leadership record and highlights diplomatic and governance achievements as president.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has responded to recent remarks by a former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, defending his record in office and acknowledging that leadership inevitably comes with challenges and mistakes.

Atiku, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had criticisedJonathan’s tenure, describing him as inexperienced and suggesting that this affected his ability to effectively manage the country during difficult periods.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Atiku said Jonathan’s “inexperience” contributed to his struggles in effectively managing the affairs of the country.

“I know Goodluck Jonathan very well. He is a decent young man, but also inexperienced, and I believe that contributed to his inability to manage the affairs of the country, particularly when he was faced with challenges,” Atiku said.

Reacting during the 2025 awards ceremony of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria in Abuja, Jonathan dismissed the claim that his age or experience level defined his performance while in office.

“So not too long ago, a very senior politician said, ‘Oh, Jonathan was too young and probably that’s why he made mistakes.

“If I made mistakes, yes, nobody who becomes a governor or a president will say you did not make mistakes. Even when you elevate yourself to the level of a god, you become a deity. All human beings must make mistakes,” he said.

Jonathan further questioned the basis of the criticism, noting that he was already in his fifties when he assumed office.

“I became president in 2010 at the age of 53. I left in 2015 at the age of 58, and they say I was too young. Must it have been 100 years before I ran the affairs of the state?” he added.

Defending his administration’s foreign policy achievements, Jonathan pointed to Nigeria’s successful election into the United Nations Security Council, stressing that such accomplishments required strategic leadership.

“I’m talking to diplomats, so I can say that during my period, I knew what I did for us to appear in the UN Security Council two times. If I were so naive, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate through that process,” he stated.

Beyond the exchange, Jonathan expressed concern over the persistent political instability in West Africa, warning that it remained a major obstacle to economic growth in the region.

“We cannot progress economically if we are very unstable societies politically,” he said.

Referring to the vision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), he noted that ongoing governance crises have slowed regional integration efforts.

“That means that ECOWAS must interfere with the internal affairs of the states, and the issue of sovereignty becomes a problem,” Jonathan explained.

He called on leaders across the sub-region to work collectively towards stability, emphasising its importance for sustainable development.

“The heads of states of ECOWAS must continue to work together and agree on concrete terms and make sure that the sub-region is politically stable,” he said.

Jonathan also urged Nigerian diplomats to properly document foreign policy experiences to serve as a guide for future administrations.

Meanwhile, a Delta State political analyst, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has taken a swipe at the Atiku for describing Jonathan as in experience leader.

He said it was ironic for a man of Atiku’s political standing to choose to belittle a leader widely acknowledged, both locally and internationally, as a symbol of democratic maturity and peaceful leadership.

Onuesoke argued that describing Jonathan as ‘inexperienced’ was a flight from reality, recalling that before assuming the presidency, he had served as deputy governor, governor, vice-president and acting president.

Onuesoke, who faulted Atiku’s claim, maintained that Jonathan remained the only Nigerian who held the two highest and prestigious titles in Nigeria since independence, adding that no Nigerian has beaten his records.

“Dr. Goodluck Jonathan remains the only Nigerian who holds the two highest/prestigious titles in Nigeria since independence. No Nigerian has beaten his records.

“He was a deputy governor, acting governor, governor, Vice-President, acting President, and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No one could be more experienced than him in the hierarchy of leadership and governance.

“Anyone calling him inexperienced is unfair to him as a person, and let that person check their experience very well if they have Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s record of achievements politically,” he added.

Chuks Okocha and Sylvester Idowu