Jonathan in his new book, ‘My Transition Hour,’ which he publicly presented in Abuja on Tuesday, recalled that he was confident of winning the election based on his achievements.
“We were confident that victory was ours. We were sure of the states where we would certainly have a clear lead. We knew the states which we had a 50-50 chance and finally the states we would have the required 25 per cent to satisfy the provisions of the law,” he said in the book.
He added, “Obviously and with the benefit of hindsight, I have come to be aware of the intrigue that played a significant role in costing my party and me the election.
“For instance, there were governors elected under the banner of my party, the Peoples Democratic Party, who did not wholeheartedly campaign for me and adamantly refused to allow campaign posters with my picture and theirs to be printed and circulated.
“In fact, a particular first term governor in the North openly said his ideal scenario was to have him re-elected and my opponent elected President.
“This same governor told his aides that I would be removed in a coup. Unfortunately for him, his wishes did not come to pass and he ended up not being elected.”
Jonathan also said that there was a tremendous measure of religious pressure on members of the party in the north.
While saying it was not a fresh factor, he however warned that “it is one militating against entrenching the ethos of democracy. For as long as people could be persuaded or harassed into falling in line by deploying religion as an instrument of politics, our goals for promoting democracy pull prove difficult.”
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