In an interview with the Rainbow Book Club, former President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed that powerful northern Muslim factions opposed his stepping in as acting president after Umaru Yar’Adua fell ill and subsequently passed away in May 2010 . According to Jonathan, these groups had expected Yar’Adua—a northern Muslim—to serve two full terms following Obasanjo’s eight years, delaying any return of power to the South .
Jonathan also recalled a tense moment when one of Yar’Adua’s aides deliberately withheld the presidential letter to the National Assembly—a constitutional requirement to formalize his authority as acting president . This refusal left the country without a functioning head of state until legislators invoked the “Doctrine of Necessity” to give Jonathan the authority to govern despite lacking formal endorsement .
Moreover, Jonathan spoke of the heightened political instability and anxiety at the time, revealing that rumors of a military coup were so prevalent that allies urged him to abandon the State House for his safety. He chose to stay put, reasoning that if something were to happen to him within Nigeria’s seat of power, it would be impossible to fabricate false narratives about his fate .
Jonathan’s reflections shed light on the complex interplay of regional and religious divisions in Nigeria’s political landscape post-Yar’Adua, offering a candid glimpse into the challenges he faced during that critical period.
