More revelations have emerged on the alleged conspiracy of the US in the electoral defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Jonathan had claimed that former American President Barack Obama, was responsible for his loss.
Jonathan had said, “President Barack Obama and his officials made it very clear to me by their actions that they wanted a change of government in Nigeria and we’re ready to do anything to achieve that purpose. They even brought some naval ships into the Gulf of Guinea in the days preceding the election.”
Meanwhile, the US has since denied the allegation, insisting that Jonathan lost the election because Nigerians wanted him out.
In an advance copy of ‘Against the Run of Play’, a book written by Segun Adeniyi, Babangida Aliyu, former Niger state governor and ex-chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, gave a hint of possible US involvement in the electoral defeat of Jonathan.
He said the Obama administration invited 12 northern governors to the US to ascertain their level of commitment to removing Jonathan.
Aliyu said, although he had no proof of this, but expressed the belief that the reason for their invitation to the US was deeper than discussing the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
“I have no proof of course, but I think the idea was to ascertain what the disposition of the north would be to the idea of another term for President Jonathan.
“That was my reading of the situation. I believe it was all about the 2015 election for which the Americans had resolved not to support Jonathan. They just wanted to size us up for the level of commitment to regime change,” Aliyu said.
Aliyu said in one of the sessions, Murtala Nyako, former Adamawa state governor, accused Jonathan of sponsoring Boko Haram with the intent of destroying the north.
He added that Nyako’s accusation signalled to the Americans that the north was not in support Jonathan’s re-election bid.
“If Jonathan had been clever enough to say he would not run and had stuck with the PDP zoning formula by supporting a young northern candidate, I am most certain Buhari would have shelved his ambition to contest in 2015, knowing there was no way he would win,” he said.
The book, which details how Jonathan lost the 2015 election, will be launched on Friday.
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