Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that powerful northern Muslim blocs opposed his assumption of office following the death of ex-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010.
Jonathan made this known during an interview with the Rainbow Book Club, where he reflected on his political journey as documented in his memoir, My Transition Hours.
Yar’Adua, a northern Muslim, died on May 5, 2010, while in office. Jonathan, then Vice President and a southern Christian, was constitutionally expected to take over.
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However, Jonathan disclosed that political resistance from the North created a tense and uncertain atmosphere.
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“Definitely, the northern Muslims wanted Yar’Adua to at least do eight years before it could come back to the South,” Jonathan said. But the health issue came up and it was the problem, and that was why even to allow me to act was an issue.”
He added that Yar’Adua’s aides contributed to the crisis by refusing to transmit a formal letter to the National Assembly, which would have empowered him as Acting President.
“That letter was written. Well, the person whom the letter was handed over to was one of the aides of Yar’Adua and he refused to submit the letter,” he said.
Jonathan recalled how the country was thrown into a constitutional vacuum until the National Assembly invoked the Doctrine of Necessity, allowing him to act as president in the absence of official communication.
He also revealed fears of a possible military coup at the time, noting, “Every day, I was hearing about coup… I said, ‘No, I would stay in the State House.
“If somebody wanted to kill me, it’s better you kill me in the State House, so Nigerians would know.’”
