You were among the first high-profile Nigerians who rushed to congratulate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the man declared winner of the most disputed presidential election in Nigeria’s modern history. An election whose results were announced at 4 a.m. while the nation slept, while election observers raised red flags over rigging, voter suppression, and digital manipulation.
At a time when millions of Nigerians, especially the youths, felt betrayed, silenced, and robbed of their voice, you chose to smile for the cameras and legitimize the heist. That was a betrayal. And sadly, it wasn’t your first.
We remember 2015. You made that infamous call to Buhari, conceding defeat even while vote collation was still ongoing. It sounded noble to some, but to many of us, it was the move of a man under pressure, a man who blinked too early, a man unwilling to fight for the very mandate millions believed in. Your supporters were still holding the line. Your staunch loyalists like Orubebe were shouting “WE WILL NOT TAKE IT.!” at the collation centers not knowing you had alreadlly chickened out.
Let’s be blunt: your humility often masked your weakness. You governed with fear- fear of confronting the political mafia holding Nigeria hostage, fear of bold reforms that would break the cycle of elite dominance, fear of owning the power your office bestowed. You allowed self-serving opportunists to hijack your presidency, and they dragged your name through the mud.
They called you clueless, called you the ineffectual Buffon, called your wife Shepoppotamus, still called you drunken fisherman, blocked your initiatives, including the Almajiri education program designed to lift their poor out of generational ignorance.
And now, suddenly, they want you back?
Can’t you see the trap?
You are being courted not because they believe in your vision, but because they know you are their safest bet to stop Peter Obi – a man whose organic popularity in the country is rattling their foundation.
Obi has promised to do one term, and they feel that might open the door for a stronger Southern push in 2031.
Who is better to sabotage that future than “Mr. Humble” himself -a former president with name recognition, a mild demeanor, and no political backbone to challenge their dominance?
You are not needed to lead, sir. You are being recruited to divide.
This is the game: field Jonathan in PDP, split the South, weaken the Obidients, and clear the path for a Northern candidate, whether in ADC or any other party to walk into Aso Rock anyhow. It’s not rocket science. It’s political arithmetic. And you, sir, are the bait.
You were ousted before, not just by votes, but by the cold calculations of the very establishment now pretending to love you. They haven’t changed. You’re not their Plan A. You’re just Plan B, a soft distraction, a strategic divider to ensure the South never unites behind one bold candidate.
You must resist the urge to dance back into that ring.You will not win
History has already placed a crown on your head as the man who peacefully handed over power – keep it. Don’t ruin it by becoming the man who sabotaged his own people
Nigeria doesn’t need another soft-spoken figure in Aso Rock. We need courage. We need clarity. We need conviction.
Stay retired, Dr. Jonathan. Stay respected. Don’t become their useful fool.
Samuel Anayo writes from Jos
