Jonathan: I felt like the world was against me when I lost election in 2015

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has spoken about his emotions after losing the 2015 presidential election.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday at the maiden edition of the Raymond Dokpesi annual diamond lecture, Jonathan said he felt like the world was against him after losing the poll.

The event was organised by Daar Communications in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

Jonathan was Nigerian president from 2010 to 2015.

In 2015, Jonathan, who sought a second term on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

After the outcome of the poll, Jonathan became the first incumbent president to lose his reelection bid.

He conceded defeat and congratulated Buhari even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the official results.

“It is not easy to lose an election as a president. You will think the whole world is against you,” Jonathan said.

The former president said the late Dokpesi consoled him after the defeat, encouraging him to keep hope alive.

“But then, Dokpesi invited me before I handed over. I remember what he said to me when I lost the election,” he said.

“There were so many senior Nigerians (elder statesmen) who spoke. After I listened to all the conversations, he congratulated me and encouraged me to look beyond the election. This is how I commemorated that session.

“That communication gave me hope and helped me not necessarily for the transition hour ahead of me but also in my spiritual life as a private citizen. If you read my book, My Transition Hours, I explain it more elaborately.”

Dokpesi, the founder of Daar Communications, died in May 2023.