Jonathan, a Rare African Statesman, Says Danjuma
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday paid a private visit to former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Danjuma, at the latter’s Asokoro, Abuja residence.
Thereafter, Danjuma in an interview with reporters praised President Jonathan for pulling the nation back from the precipice by conceding defeat in good time.
Jonathan’s action, he added, was in contrast to that of deceased Igbo leader and head of the defunct Biafra Republic, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Danjuma said that by conceding defeat in the March 28 presidential election to General Muhammad Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jonathan had set a record in statesmanship in Nigeria.
He urged Africa and the world to emulate the outgoing president.
He said that if Odumegwu-Ojukwu had done the same thing after the fall of Enugu, the nation would have been saved further bloodshed of the civil war.
His words: “The outcome of the election and the manner in which President Jonathan conceded victory to Buhari, is un-African, it is very important in the history of Africa.
“If Ojukwu did the same after the fall of Enugu, if he had conceded victory to the federal troops, he would have saved the nation one full year of bloodshed.
“President Jonathan has set a history, a record as something to be emulated by the rest of Africa and indeed the whole world. It’s an excellent thing he did.”
Jonathan thanked his host for fatherly support during the election.
