SAN FRANCISCO, November 22, (THEWILL) – Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) has insisted that he never at any time discouraged former President Goodluck Jonathan from conceding victory to President Muhammdu Buhari in 2015.
He made this known in reaction to the claim by Jonathan in his book, ‘My Transition Hours’, where the former President stated that he was advised against conceding the 2015 elections by ex-Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the ex-Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka and the former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to the ex-President, Waripamo Owei-Dudafa and Adoke.
In his reaction, Adoke said having been at the vanguard of protecting Nigeria’s democracy and the Rule of Law as an Attorney-General of the Federation, he could not have stooped low to ask Jonathan to reject the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.
He however noted that some hawks in the administration actually wanted Jonathan to refuse to accept the results but he, the two ex-Ministers and Dudafa encouraged Jonathan to congratulate Buhari.
“As a patriot, I could not have advised him not to concede defeat. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Osita Chidoka, I and Waripamowei-Dudafa are the real heroes of that historic concession as we ensured that despite pressures from the hawks within the administration, the President conceded defeat by calling President Buhari as at the time he did.
“We are the real heroes of the concession by Jonathan. We were the ones who made the former President to make the concession call to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are not saboteurs, we are patriots. We actually asked Jonathan to concede. I have impeccable democratic credentials; no one can spoil my records.
“I expect that Jonathan will clear the air on the issue as he knows the truth. However, my forthcoming book will address the issue most comprehensively.”
