Jonathan: Okonjo-Iweala, Chidoka, Adoke never asked me to reject 2015 election result

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan says he was not advised against accepting defeat while the 2015 presidential election results were being tallied.

Jonathan commemorated his 61st birthday on Tuesday with the launch of his book, ‘My Transition Hours’.

Some reports quoted the former president as saying that he was pressured by some of his ministers not to accept defeat.

But Ikechukwu Eze, his media adviser, issued a clarification in a statement on Wednesday.

He said it was an erroneous claim to say “that some identified former aides and ministers of ex-President Jonathan advised him not to accept defeat”.

The statement read in part: “The story which was said to have emanated  from former President Jonathan’s new book ‘My Transition Hours’ mentioned the then Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister Mohammed Bello Adoke; Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka, as those whose advice was rebuffed by Jonathan.

“President Jonathan had maintained that he never consulted anybody over the decision to call and congratulate his opponent while the results of the 2015 Presidential election was still being tallied.

“Whereas the decision to concede defeat was one he took without any compelling, the former President is however grateful to those who were with him at that moment and many other Nigerians that shared in his conviction to put across the historic phone call.”