A former Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan has advised leaders facing challenging situations in government to embrace the path of honour at the cost of losing power.
The comments of the former Nigerian leader come at a time when the electoral process of the United States is being discredited by President Donald Trump.
Trump has over the past few days made baseless accusations of electoral fraud, suggesting a concerted effort to steal the election from him, and declaring himself winner even as as postal ballots are still being counted.
Trump has so far taken a fighting stance which has incited his backers who seem to have become more irrational – making online threats, ramping up demonstrations, spreading unverified information of election “fraud and corruption,” or staging protests at vote counting venues.
However Jonathan took to his Facebook page and wrote, “Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any citizen.”
It is however not clear if the comments of the US president prompted Jonathan into making the Facebook post.
“It is better to gain honour at the cost of losing power than to gain power at the cost of losing honour,” Jonathan said.
“At any point in time, the power of love should matter more than the love of power. This is my philosophy. I have lived it. It has brought great peace to both my beloved nation and I.
“And I recommend it to all leaders facing challenging situations, either in government, or at the polls, or even in their dealings with fellow political actors,” he added.
The former Nigeria president in 2015 famously conceded his country’s election to President Muhammadu Buhari even before a winner was declared.
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