Former President Goodluck Jonathan has claimed that former United States President Barack Obama played an active role in shaping the outcome of Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election, alleging that the Obama administration worked against his re election and favored the opposition led by Muhammadu Buhari.
The allegations are contained in Jonathan’s memoir, My Transition Hours.
Jonathan said the Obama administration had already concluded that his government should be replaced before Nigerians went to the polls. According to him, the United States adopted actions that went beyond normal diplomatic engagement and amounted to direct interference in Nigeria’s democratic process.
He specifically referenced a video message released by Obama on March 23, 2015, just days before the presidential election. In the message, Obama urged Nigerians to vote peacefully and “open the next chapter” of the nation’s history. Jonathan argued that the statement was interpreted by many as subtle encouragement for voters to support the opposition and bring in a new government.
Jonathan also criticized the visit of then US Secretary of State John Kerry, who travelled to Nigeria ahead of the election. He said Kerry opposed the postponement of the polls and publicly pressured his administration, despite Nigeria’s insistence that the delay was necessary because of military operations against Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast. Jonathan described the US position as unfair and questioned why American officials believed they understood Nigeria’s security challenges better than its own government.
The former president maintained that the postponement was intended to allow the military reclaim territories controlled by Boko Haram and improve security before the election. He argued that the criticism from Washington ignored the realities facing Nigeria at the time and undermined his administration’s efforts to ensure a credible electoral process.
Jonathan eventually lost the March 28, 2015 presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress. He made history by conceding defeat before the final results were officially announced, a move widely praised for helping Nigeria achieve its first peaceful transfer of power from an incumbent president to an opposition candidate.
Following the publication of Jonathan’s book, the United States rejected the allegations, saying the memoir misrepresented America’s role in Nigeria’s 2015 elections. US officials maintained that their focus was on supporting peaceful, free and credible elections rather than influencing the outcome.
