I didn’t want to become vice president – Goodluck Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan said he did not want to be vice president when he was chosen to contest alongside the late President Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 but fate has another plan in store for him

Jonathan disclosed this on Wednesday during his condolence visit to Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, over the death of the governor’s father at Sampou Community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state. .

He was picked as a running mate to late President Musa Yar’Adua under the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) while he was serving as Bayelsa State governor in 2007.

He said he almost cried when he became Nigeria’s number two citizen, adding that he never planned to occupy such a high office at that time.

Jonathan served as the vice president for three years before Yar’Adua’s death and assumed office as president of Nigeria to complete their tenure.

He contested and won the 2011 election for another four years, but he lost his re-election bid to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.

“As a leader in the country who had the privilege of serving at the state level and national level, I can only advise that politics is not about that you must be there. If God wants you to be there, you will be there,” Jonathan said.

“If it is not yet your turn to be there, you will not be there. When I became a vice president I almost cried, I never wanted to, but that was my destiny and I had to move.

“So, I advise people who are interested in these offices and their supporters to conduct themselves very well. They want to serve us, not to serve themselves.”

“I always tell people that if you are so ambitious, then go into business. If you want to be in the state assembly and people don’t want you, fine, go and sleep. You want to be a governor and people don’t want you, go and sleep or do business.

“But if you want to serve us as people then you must be humble and you will not kill us before you serve us. So, people must conduct themselves peacefully and if God wants them to win their elections, they will win their elections,” Jonathan said.