I never wanted to become vice president

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said he was opposed to becoming Nigeria’s vice president in 2007 but fate has another plan in store for him.

He said he almost cried when he became Nigeria’s number two citizen, adding that he never planned to occupy such a high office at that time.

Jonathan made the revelation on Wednesday when he paid a condolence visit to Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, over the death of the governor’s father at Sampou Community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.

“As a leader in the country who had the privilege of serving at the state level and national level, I can only advise that politics is not about that you must be there. If God wants you to be there, you will be there.

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“If it is not yet your turn to be there, you will not be there. When I became a vice president I almost cried, I never wanted to, but that was my destiny and I had to move.

“So, I advise people who are interested in these offices and their supporters to conduct themselves very well. They want to serve us, not to serve themselves.

“I always tell people that if you are so ambitious, then go into business. If you want to be in the state assembly and people don’t want you, fine, go and sleep. You want to be a governor and people don’t want you, to go and sleep or do business.

“But if you want to serve us as people then you must be humble and you will not kill us before you serve us. So, people must conduct themselves peacefully and if God wants them to win their elections, they will win their elections,” Jonathan said.

The former president was picked as a running mate to late President Musa Yar’Adua while he (Jonathan) was serving as Bayelsa State governor in 2007.

The duo who contested under the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party won the election. Jonathan served in a vice president capacity for three years before Yar’Adua’s death.

He then assumed office as President of Nigeria and completed their tenure. He contested the 2011 election and was elected to serve for another four years.

However, Jonathan lost his re-election bid to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), of the All Progressives Congress in 2015.