I could have stopped the election – Jonathan recalls 2015 card reader controversy

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed that he had the option to cancel the 2015 general elections following technical issues with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) card reader system.

In a recent interview, Jonathan shared that the card reader failed to recognize him, his wife, and even his mother at their designated polling unit.

“In 2015, the INEC card reader rejected many voters in the South, including me and my wife, causing frustration. Meanwhile in the North, instructions allowed everyone to vote without accreditation. So you really see something not quite right. I could have stopped the election,” Jonathan said.

He described the political atmosphere at the time as extremely fragile, highlighting the sharp North-South and religious divides that marked the period.

According to Jonathan, there were daily rumors of a possible military coup, and threats to his life became increasingly serious.

If anybody wants to kill me, it’s better you kill me in the State House so Nigerians will know that they assassinated me there. I had not committed any offense,” he said.

He also mentioned that he declined suggestions to stay in a guest house for security reasons, explaining that he preferred to remain in the presidential residence to avoid the risk of being killed elsewhere and having the blame placed on the wrong people.

“If I decided to go and stay in a guest house and wherever I’m going, security people would know. And if people go and kill me there, they will now say Indian girls brought apples to kill me. And I wouldn’t want those kind of stories.”

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