Jonathan Says He Has No Remorse Endorsing Diri’s Re-Election

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the former president of Nigeria, has declared that he owed no one an apology for having backed Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri’s re-election in the state’s off-cycle governorship election on November 11, 2023.

Additionally, he stated that it was the correct course of action because most Bayelsa residents supported Governor Diri’s continuation in office.

Jonathan made this statement on Tuesday during the governor’s and a powerful delegation’s Yuletide visit to his home in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The former president’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, was also present to greet the governor and his entourage, according to a statement on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel Alabrah.

Jonathan made it clear that Diri’s imaginative leadership in handling state challenges was why he publicly backed his candidature during the elections.

Because of the governor’s efforts to support development—particularly in preserving the peace and stability of the state—he believed that the governor ought to be reelected.

“I have no apologies to anybody because I know that the governor and his team were doing very well, especially in the area of peace and stability of the state,” he declared after the governorship election. For a while, I started to worry a lot.

“I have not said others did not do well. After all, l was also a governor for a little less than one and a half years and also had my challenges.

“Since Diri came on board, the excesses of cult groups, particularly in Yenagoa, have reduced reasonably. If we must move forward, first and foremost, we must handle the issue of security to attract investors. I saw that the governor and his team have a vision and he needed to be encouraged to do another four-year term.”

Jonathan charged the governor to do more to meet the high expectations of the massive support base for his Prosperity Administration, adding that “to whom much was given, much was expected.”

Douye Diri responded by thanking the former president for his endorsement and assistance, both of which helped the Peoples Democratic Party win the poll.

“You gave a sitting governor your support in exchange for more than billions of naira. After obtaining that support, we were confident that we would win. We are come to express our sincere gratitude for bringing stability to the state.

Thus, he declared, “Bayelsa is ready for private investors to come in with the kind of peace and security we have in our state.”

To maintain peace and progress, the governor expressed hope that Jonathan would have more opportunities to mediate conflicts between citizens of the nation and the continent of Africa.

Also, Diri expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for facilitating a credible, free, and orderly election in t