The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has urged Nigerian politicians to adopt the non-violent approach associated with former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking to journalists in Bauchi, at the sidelines of the 2026, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue, Usman said Nigeria’s democracy survived 2015 due to Jonathan’s concession.
According to her, the former President conceded defeat even before final votes were tallied, averting doomsday predictions by political observers at the time.
The labour party National Publicity secretary, Ken Asogwa, disclose Usman’s remarks in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja
She noted that such principled conduct had never been witnessed on the Nigerian political horizon, describing it as a rare demonstration of patriotism.
“From the inception of his presidency, he maintained that neither his election nor remaining in power was worth the blood of any Nigerian.”she stated.
Usman added that Jonathan lived up to his words when tested, and called on politicians seeking office in 2027 to play by the rules.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago,” she said
Usman questioned whether present-day presidential candidates could make similar sacrifices amid the growing inflammatory rhetoric from various political camps.
On the Labour Party’s readiness for 2027, she said the party is the most structured ahead of the next general elections.
She emphasis that with the NLC and TUC as constitutional members, the Labour Party is best positioned to unseat the APC, urging other opposition parties to collapse their structures into it as it has presence in all 186,000 polling units.
The dialogue, themed “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?” attracted dignitaries including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Governor Bala Mohammed, Peter Obi, and other political leaders.
