Former President Goodluck Jonathan says his membership in the West African Elders Forum is one of the reasons for his continued absence from active and partisan politics.
Jonathan made the remark in Abuja while speaking at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) on Thursday, themed “Legacy of Impact, Celebrating Our Journey.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event also featured a gala dinner held in celebration of Jonathan’s 68th birthday.
Explaining his absence from active politics to associates, Jonathan said WAEF membership comes with a strict condition of non-partisanship. He described the forum as a preventive diplomacy initiative composed of former heads of state who visit countries within the sub-region during elections to mediate and prevent crises arising from poorly managed polls.
“The idea is, yes, we observe the elections, but we are not co-observers,” he said. “We go there to make sure that if we notice anything negative emerging, we intervene and try to see what we can do so that those issues do not snowball into a full crisis.”
Jonathan added: “The condition to be a member of the WAEF is that you must be a former president within the sub-region and a former president of ECOWAS. One clear condition is that you will no longer be an active politician, and that is why I am disappointing most of my political associates. They expect me to play an active role in politics, but before I do, I must first resign from the WAEF.”
On the state of the nation, Jonathan decried what he termed “rascality” in politics, urging politicians to conduct themselves with decorum and responsibility.
He urged politicians to embrace discipline and professionalism, noting that unlike other occupations that require training, politics allows individuals without preparation to assume leadership.
