Former President Goodluck Jonathan says politicians cannot excuse every action taken to win an election by simply calling it politics.
Jonathan spoke on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at a public lecture marking the 80th birthday of Kanu Agabi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Electoral contests, he said, must be governed by established rules and should not be used to justify misconduct in the name of victory.
“In politics it’s a disaster. People do stupid things, even criminal things, and they will tell you it is politics. It is not politics. Politics has rules,” he said. “Politics is like a soccer match. You play according to the rules and that’s why the courts start to mediate if you go against the rules. Otherwise you can do anything and win an election and walk away.”
Jonathan said Nigeria’s fight against corruption requires more than laws and enforcement agencies. Lasting change, he argued, depends on building a society in which ethical conduct is valued and wrongdoing is rejected.
“The challenge before Nigeria is not simply to make laws against corruption. It’s to build a culture in which ethical conduct becomes a norm, where public office is treated as a trust, and where institutions are strong enough to uphold accountability,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to discourage wrongdoing rather than celebrate those suspected of misconduct because of their wealth or influence.
“We can continue to claim that private corruption will just keep moving around the circle. It cannot go anywhere until we develop that culture, and nobody does wrong willingly,” he said.
Recalling an experience in Rwanda, Jonathan said that country’s social values discourage public officials from accepting gifts that could be inappropriate, showing how social norms can influence public conduct beyond formal laws.
“I gave this to my aides to give to the people who take care of me. If you give me a hotel room where nobody can see anybody and it is free, they say it is not the culture of Rwanda to accept even a small gift,” he said.
He also criticised the practice of giving prominence and recognition to people suspected of wrongdoing, particularly when wealth secures positions or honours in religious, traditional and political institutions.
Jonathan said the judiciary and other institutions have a key role in holding people accountable when electoral rules are violated, but that the responsibility for fighting corruption should not rest solely with government agencies.
“All of us Nigerians have a major role to play if we want to suppress corruption, not just the bodies established by law to discipline and punish those who do it,” he said.
The former president called for greater discipline among political leaders, saying those in authority must model the standards they expect from the people they lead.
“It does not take a lifetime to deal with this kind of issue. But maximum discipline by the leaders. Because if the leaders are not disciplined, the followers are not disciplined,” he said.
Jonathan urged Nigerians not to lose hope over the country’s challenges, adding that difficult periods can be overcome when citizens and leaders take collective responsibility for building a better society.
