Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, on Wednesday, urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to be cautious as he considers mounting calls to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Kukah gave the advice while speaking at the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana.
He hailed Jonathan’s 2015 concession of defeat as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s democracy, describing it as a rare act of sacrifice and honor that restored public faith in governance.
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The cleric recalled that Jonathan had the power and resources to resist the election outcome in 2015 but instead chose peace.
“When you took that decision on March 31, 2015, even before the elections had concluded, when you made that call, you were answering what to me was more or less a divine call,” Kukah said.
He noted that Jonathan’s action prevented possible unrest, saying it embodied dignity, sacrifice, and hope.
“It would have been possible to instigate a war, but by taking that decision, in my view, you gave Nigerians a touch of what democracy should look like the honor, the dignity, the sense of sacrifice,” he added.
However, Kukah warned Jonathan to tread carefully regarding a 2027 comeback. Quoting former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Danjuma, he stated: “The voice of the devil is not so far from the voice of God.
Listen very carefully to those who want to use you as an instrument for the elongation of their interests, and not your interests or the interests of Nigeria.”