Speaking during the gala celebration of his 68th birthday on Thursday, November 20, 2025, as reported by SYMFONI Television FROM 9:03, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan addressed long-standing speculation and pressure from political associates urging him to take a more visible political role ahead of unfolding national events.
He reiterated that he cannot rejoin active partisan politics unless he first resigns from the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), the high-level body of former heads of state dedicated to stability and preventive diplomacy across the sub-region.
Jonathan explained that WAEF membership comes with strict rules that forbid active involvement in partisan politics. The forum, he said, works to resolve electoral tensions, mediate political conflicts, and intervene diplomatically in countries approaching elections, responsibilities that require complete neutrality.
According to him “That’s why I will be disappointing some of my friends who ask me to play an active role in politics, I cannot unless I resign from the West African Elders Forum.”
The former president stressed that leaving the forum merely to engage in day-to-day political battles would betray the principles that underpin its existence. He also noted that the body was formed from the recognition that poorly managed elections often fuel crises across West Africa, making its work critical to regional peace.
Jonathan added that although the forum occasionally deploys active politicians for specific missions, they do so only as temporary participants, never as full members. Full membership, he emphasised, is reserved strictly for statesmen who have stepped away from partisan competition.
His remarks suggest that he intends to maintain his statesmanlike posture and continue prioritising regional stability over domestic political pressure. By reaffirming his commitment to the forum’s neutrality requirement, Jonathan effectively signalled that a political comeback is unlikely unless he is willing to relinquish his diplomatic responsibilities, a decision he appears unwilling to make for now. View, More,
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