He Who the Cap Fits Should Wear It: Reflections on Goodluck Jonathan’s Possible Second Coming (Part One)

Expectations are high in the air. There is smoke everywhere, and the fire seems to be nearby. The clamor is growing louder and louder: Jonathan is on the way! Jonathan is on his way! As anticipated, the jury is already out in full force, with a number of analysts, pundits, and self-described political strategists analyzing the potential ramifications of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan returning to politics for a prospective 2027 presidential bid.

Almost all opinion writers concur that his return to politics will result in a seismic upheaval in the power dynamics being calculated by the various political platforms, including the ruling APC, the main opposition PDP, and the rebranded ADC. Because of his inclusive and compassionate style of governance, the fact that he will only be constitutionally eligible for one term in office, and the fact that the North will remember and reward him for the massive pro-people and pro-poor programs and policies he unleashed during his first presidential term but that have been diminished and abandoned over the past ten years, many people think he will win handily if he runs. His adoptive geopolitical base, the South East, will support him even though his South South base will vote for him with overwhelming numbers, particularly if Peter Obi’s name is not on the ballot.

This three-part essay is not meant to address every opinion piece that has already been written about former President Jonathan’s alleged second coming; some of them are direct, calm, and objective, while others are the work of paid hack writers who aim to damage his reputation and image. I will say a few words about the current media discourse surrounding the Jonathan phenomenon, but for the time being, I want to let his and others’ words speak for him and about him—his compassionate nature, his love of peace and good governance, his liberal outlook and tolerance, and the significant socioeconomic change he brought about in the country between 2010 and 2015.

It would be like traveling back in time to Nigeria’s past, when influential figures like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Tafawa Balewa, and Dr. M I Okpara walked the land they lead with moral clarity and intellectual force, using his words and those of others to tell his story and reanimate his legacy. After that, you can read their sayings and wise words, peruse their works, and use their words to hold them accountable. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is one such leader—certainly not other presidents who haven’t even left us with a catchphrase to remember them by!

Let me now swiftly share with the Nigerian public and the international community at large a collection of these thought-provoking statements and insightful ideas together with my humble commentary; this presentation method will be carried over into parts two and three of this article.

Regarding Politics Without Resentment

“No Nigerian’s blood is worth my political ambition.”

President Jonathan Goodluck

This call to peace today has a universal resonance, is a source of moral clarity, and serves as a benchmark for evaluating how African political leaders behave while in power.

President Jonathan is still seen as a man of peace.

In 2015, President Jonathan did the unimaginable by calling an election with no known outcome for the opposition candidate. For whatever reason, he could have incited conflict, but he opted for peace.

— Public intellectual and journalist Simon Kolawole

In terms of vision and thinking clarity, Kolawole was spot on. There is nothing more to add to his insightful perspective.

Jonathan as a Leader Who Transforms

Through ground-breaking programs like YouWin, which the World Bank has deemed to be the most successful business growth competition globally, Dr. Jonathan has helped millions of young people escape poverty. As every leader should know, the more you learn, the more you make. Dr. Jonathan also had the impressive record of constructing more schools for Nigeria’s youth—165 elementary and high schools and 14 universities—which resulted in a significant boost to the country’s GDP.

— President John Dramani Mahama of the Republic of Ghana

These stirring words from the writings of one of Africa’s greatest modern leaders require no additions.

A Compassionate and Tolerant Leader

History and my own experience have taught me that using power as a sword rather than a shield can wear you out and inflict unimaginable suffering for the people you serve. All too frequently, those who observe power from the sidelines mistakenly think that the strong man is the one who wields power. However, that is untrue. Strength under control is true power.

—President Jonathan Goodluck

Indeed, the essential components of presidential power are not their opposites but rather tolerance, compassion, and controlled authority. The obvious truth of Jonathan’s historic declaration has been staring us in the face ever since he left office.

Jonathan as African Democracy’s Face

“Goodluck Jonathan has become the face of democracy in Africa thanks to his legacy of a peaceful and democratic handover of power. Africa would quickly rank among the most developed and stable regions in the world if all African leaders adopted the Jonathan Doctrine.

—Bestselling author and political strategist Joe Trippi of the United States

I think that Africa continues to face challenges since many of its leaders have not yet adopted the Jonathan Doctrine. The continent is still rife with sit-tight civilian tyrants that suppress the opposition and misuse term-limit clauses in the constitution. It’s time for them to let Africa breathe and use the Jonathan Doctrine.

Regarding the Moral Imperative of Power, President Jonathan

“I’m here to start an idea-based campaign, not a slanderous one. It is love, not hate, that I have come to preach. I’m here to help you break free from the polarizing tendencies of the past that have impeded our progress toward national unity. I have no adversaries to contend with. All of you are my pals, and we have a similar identity.

— President Jonathan

The last time we heard of this kind of moral clarity before Jonathan arrived to say these incredibly transforming words was during the years of Nigeria’s struggle against British colonialism and the establishment of a post-colonial republic.

How do I wrap up this first section of a work that I have been considering for a long time and have finally found the confidence to write? His opponents and their army of persistent translators have called President Jonathan names that cannot be printed. He has been characterized as weak, inept, and naive. Since the true inept and ignorant people came calling ten years after he left office, the people who said these hurtful things have fled in embarrassment. Those who used their unfortunate situation as a means to defeat him in an election have subsequently abandoned the surviving Chibok girls, eleven years after they were kidnapped. Since then, the Dapchi girls have undoubtedly been added to the increasing number of people and girls kidnapped between 2015 and 2025. In addition, the Unity Fountain in Abuja, where the Bring Back the Girls campaigners had set up camp for months in order to criticize him and his administration, has been closed, fenced, and padlocked with DSS and police officers on duty.

I am a Northerner, a Muslim, a public intellectual, and a native of Gombe State. President Jonathan is a Christian by faith, from the Ijaw ethnic group, and hails from Bayelsa state. Nevertheless, I have faith in him and his historic potential as a transformative leader, and I would be happy to support, advocate for, and vote for him if he were to run for government again.

From Gombe in Gombe state, Adamu Musa Abdulkadir, Executive Director of Leadership and Governance Training Collective, wrote