- Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba, has lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for the way he allowed democratic process to rule in the recently concluded presidential elections in the country.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Independent, he said Jonathan is Nigeria’s number one hero during the elections. “Hero number one is a man that I saw on television and I saw that he was tremendously relieved. That is President Goodluck Jonathan. As a skilled legal psychologist, I can tell mood and swings. But that is not to say that he didn’t want to win.

“IBB will be biting his fingers in Minna because the glory Jonathan has now taken is what IBB would have taken if he had left peacefully. What are you still doing after nine years in power?

“So, I had a feeling Jonathan asked himself a question ‘I have been in senior government office since 1999. I have given my best shot, it was a close race but I lost. Rather than wait for my supporters like Godsday Orubebe to mess me, I am out of the game. And that is why, for me, he is the number one hero.
He also praised INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega. “If Orubebe in his behaviour had a response from Jega, we won’t be staying here. When I ran as NBA president in 2006 in Port Harcourt, when the voting came to a crucial crescendo, there was a blackout. So, I know what it is when you are counting votes and there is a crisis. The coolness, calmness and the serenity with which he did it resulted in the possibility of the election being concluded peacefully and accepted by everybody, even Jonathan accepted before the announcement was made.

“Let me go back to Jonathan to expand on why I think he is the number one hero. A dictator does not give space to his opponent. A dictator crushes the opposition. The fact that the APC which is the fourth hero for me was allowed to grow is a clear case. It is easy to say that Jonathan has no choice, but he has choices.

“Mugabe has shown that he can easily decapitate the opposition. So, that is a very strong commendation for Jonathan. He allowed the democratic space to open. He allowed multi-party democracy and he allowed free elections. We have seen some Nigerian presidents not allowing it.

“We have seen how the NPN frustrated Chief Obafemi Awolowo from becoming president. We have seen how IBB did not allow the process to produce MKO Abiola. Political power in the hands of a mad man is a time bomb. So, give Jonathan the credit for being cool, calm and accepting defeat,” he said.