National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, Senator Nenadi Usman, has said Nigeria's democracy survived the 2015 elections largely because former President Goodluck Jonathan prioritised peace over power.
Usman stated this while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi on Monday.
She said Jonathan's decision to concede defeat in the 2015 presidential election before the final results were announced helped avert what she described as dire predictions about the country's democratic future.
"Nigeria's democracy survived the doomsday predictions of bookmakers in 2015 because of President Jonathan's concession of defeat in that year's election, even before the final votes were tallied," Usman said.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
The LP chairman described the gesture as unprecedented in Nigeria's political history, saying Jonathan demonstrated a principled approach to politics that had rarely been witnessed in the country.
She noted that Jonathan had consistently maintained from the beginning of his presidency that neither his election nor remaining in office was worth the blood of any Nigerian.
According to her, the former President demonstrated the sincerity of that position when he conceded defeat after the 2015 election.
Usman urged politicians seeking the presidency in 2027 to play by the rules and put the interest of the country above personal political ambitions.
Quoting investor Warren Buffett, she said: "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
She added: "The democracy Nigerians practise today has survived till this day because Jonathan made sacrifices in the past."
The Labour Party chairman also questioned whether any of the current presidential hopefuls would be willing to make similar sacrifices in the interest of the nation, given what she described as the "enormity of inflammatory rhetoric" emanating from the camps of political parties.
On the Labour Party's prospects ahead of the next general elections, Usman described the party as the most organised opposition platform in the country.
"The Labour Party is the most structured political party in Nigeria going into the next general elections.
"With the combined strength of the NLC and the TUC, both of which are constitutional members of the party, no Nigerian political party is better positioned to show the APC government the exit door than the Labour Party," she said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
She also urged opposition parties considering a coalition to collapse their structures into the Labour Party.
The 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue was themed: "Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?"
The event attracted former President Olusegun Obasanjo; founder of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation and former President, Goodluck Jonathan; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; and former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim.
Others included former Plateau State Governor Jonah David Jang; APC Deputy National Chairman, South, Dr Ben Nwoye; and the Emir of Bauchi, HRM Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu.
