‘I did my best’- Jonathan fires back at Atiku

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has pushed back strongly against criticism from Atiku Abubakar, insisting he did his best while in office and rejecting claims that he lacked the experience to lead Nigeria.

Jonathan’s response follows remarks by Atiku during an interview, where the former vice-president described him as “inexperienced” and blamed that for shortcomings during his presidency.

Speaking on Monday at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) awards ceremony in Abuja, Jonathan did not mention Atiku by name but left little doubt about the target of his remarks.

“So not too long ago, a very senior politician said Jonathan was too young and that was why he made mistakes,” he said.

“If I made mistakes, yes—nobody who becomes a governor or president will say they did not make mistakes. All human beings must make mistakes.”

The former president questioned the basis of the “inexperience” claim, noting that he assumed office in 2010 at the age of 53 and left in 2015 at 58.

“Must it have been 100 years before I ran the affairs of the state?” he asked.

Jonathan maintained that, despite challenges, his administration delivered results, pointing in particular to Nigeria’s diplomatic gains during his tenure, including its election to the United Nations Security Council.

“If I were so naive, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate that process,” he said.

Atiku, who is seeking the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections, had also downplayed the political strength of other aspirants, including Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, describing their influence as largely regional.

Jonathan, however, used the platform to broaden the conversation, warning that political instability remains a major obstacle to economic development across West Africa.

“We cannot progress economically if we are very unstable societies politically,” he said.

He also highlighted the challenges faced by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in enforcing democratic norms, noting that tensions between regional intervention and national sovereignty continue to hinder progress.

“That means ECOWAS must interfere with internal affairs of states, and sovereignty becomes an issue,” he added.