The democratic credentials of former President Goodluck Jonathan have
\nreceived yet another boost with the Woodrow Wilson International
\nCenter for Scholars in the United States recognizing him as the leader
\nthat provided the best moments for democracy in Africa in 2015.<\/p>\n
In its \u201cThe Year in Review\u201d report for 2015, the Center highlighted
\nNigeria\u2019s 2015 elections and praised Jonathan\u2019s classy role in
\nensuring a smooth transfer of power in Nigeria which \u201cbecame a big
\nconfidence boost for Africa\u2019s mass movements for democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
A release issued by Mr Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan\u2019s media aide stated
\nthat the assessment was contained in two perspectives on elections and
\nimplications for Africa and U.S.-Africa relations presented Mr. Nii
\nAkuetteh, democracy activist and the current Executive Director of the
\nAfrican Immigrants Caucus (AIC), and Mr. Olusegun Sotola, Senior
\nResearcher with the think tank, Initiative for Public Policy Analysis
\n(IPPA).<\/p>\n
Mr. Akuetteh\u2019s praised Jonathan for the position he took against
\nviolence and commended for saving the day by conceding to his
\nchallenger President Muhammadu Buhari and pledging a smooth handover
\nof power.<\/p>\n
He stated: \u201cUnquestionably, Nigeria\u2019s recent embrace of democracy and
\nJonathan\u2019s classy role define Africa\u2019s most important\u2014and
\nuplifting\u2014story of 2015. Africa and the world should give thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
On his part, Olusegun Sotola described the 2015 election as a
\nsignificant milestone in the country\u2019s democracy, signposting several
\nemerging positive trends in Africa. \u201cNigeria\u2019s stature in the region,
\nthe willingness of the incumbent to concede power and not manipulate
\nthe process matters a great deal,\u201d said Sotalo.<\/p>\n
Sotola further narrated how African leaders were known for attempting
\nto manipulate the electoral process to lengthen their stay in office.
\n\u201cThe electoral histories of African countries are replete with
\npost-election violence caused by the unwillingness of the ruling party
\nor the incumbent to relinquish power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Akuetteh and Sotola agreed that former President Jonathan\u2019s
\nhandling of the election helped eliminate the possibility looming
\nhavoc in the country.<\/p>\n
Annually, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars reviews
\ncritical and monumental events that happened on the continent of
\nAfrica in their \u201cThe Year in Review\u201d report. In the United States, the
\nWoodrow Wilson Center serves as a key non-partisan policy forum for
\ntackling global issues through independent research and an open
\ndialogue to inform actionable ideas for the policy community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The democratic credentials of former President Goodluck Jonathan have received yet another boost with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the United States recognizing him as the leader…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n