By Omonu YG Nelson & Linda Ike
As efforts towards finding middle grounds in the Niger republic political debacle intensifies, the ad-hoc mediation committee set-up by the Parliament of Economic Community of West African States, Monday, September 4, 2023, paid a consultation visit to former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, located at the highbrow Maitama area of Abuja.
The meeting which was held behind closed doors lasted for about three hours but no official statement was released.
The meeting with GEJ, as the Nigerian former leader is fondly called, is the last leg of the committee’s consultation with relevant stakeholders.
Jonathan is loved and seen by many as a champion for democracy. His famous ‘golden’ call to the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) and his main challenger, Muhammadu Buhari to concede defeat and congratulate him before INEC’s final announcement of result stands as one of its kind in the political history of Sub Saharan Africa, even as political analysts have severally described the act as portraying the infallibility of Jonathan’s ‘democratic credentials.’
By hindsight, on 9 December 2005, Jonathan, who was the deputy governor at the time, was sworn in as the governor of Bayelsa State upon the impeachment of governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha by the Bayelsa State Assembly.
In the build-up to the 2007 presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tipped Jonathan to run with with the late former President Umoru Musa Yar’Adua. Both were elected as President and Vice respectively.
However, following the ill-health and subsequent death of Yar’Adua and the invocation of doctrine of necessity, Jonathan became the third president in Nigeria’s fourth republic.
Since leaving office in 2015, Jonathan has led many peace diplomacy to many parts of Africa, aimed at entrenching democracy on the continent.
Recall that the military junta in Niger republic had on July 26, overthrown the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum.
Recall also that the Committee had on August 21, 2023, held similar consultion with the President of ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, at the ECOWAS secretariat, Abuja.
The following day, August 22, the committee was at the residence of a foremost Islamic scholar and national Chairman of the Jama’atu Izalatul Bidi’ah wa Ikamatus Sunnah, the largest Salafi movement in Nigeria, Abdullahi Bala Lau, for consultation.
Furthermore, on August 23rd, the committee was in Lagos to consult with the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Similarly, the committee on Friday, September 1, 2023, in Abuja, parleyed the former Nigerian foreign affairs minister, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe.
Ambassador Babagana Kingibe is a Nigerian diplomat of immense pedigree. His last assignment was when the immediate past Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, appointed him, Special Envoy to Chad.
He previously served Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs minister, Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria. He also contested on the ticket of Social Democratic Party, SDP, as running mate to late Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the 1993 presidential election.