By Gabriel Ameh
BAUCHI | August 11, 2026 — National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has credited former President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat in the 2015 presidential election with helping to preserve Nigeria’s democracy.
Usman made the remarks on Tuesday in Bauchi, where she spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue.
The annual dialogue, organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, was themed “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?”
Usman said Jonathan’s peaceful acceptance of the 2015 election outcome demonstrated a commitment to national interest and set an important example for Nigerian politicians.
According to her, Jonathan had consistently maintained throughout his presidency that neither winning an election nor remaining in office was worth the blood of any Nigerian.
She argued that when the principle was tested after the 2015 presidential election, the former president demonstrated that commitment by accepting defeat, helping to avert a potentially dangerous political crisis.
Usman urged politicians preparing for the 2027 general elections to embrace peaceful politics, respect democratic rules and place the interests of Nigeria above personal ambitions.
She also referenced Warren Buffett’s widely cited saying that people sitting in the shade today do so because someone planted a tree long ago, arguing that Nigerians are enjoying the benefits of democratic stability partly because of sacrifices made by previous political leaders.
The Labour Party chairman questioned whether today’s political actors, given what she described as increasingly inflammatory rhetoric from different political camps, would be prepared to make similar sacrifices for national unity.
Labour Party Targets 2027
On the Labour Party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections, Usman described the party as the most structured opposition political party in Nigeria.
She cited the party’s relationship with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), which she said gives the Labour Party a strong nationwide organisational base.
Usman also called on political parties interested in forming a coalition ahead of the 2027 elections to collapse their structures into the Labour Party.
She argued that the Labour Party remains the only opposition party with a realistic presence across Nigeria’s 186,000 polling units.
The 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue attracted political leaders and other dignitaries, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim and Labour Party figure Peter Obi.
Others in attendance included former Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, APC Deputy National Chairman (South) Dr Ben Nwoye and the Emir of Bauchi, HRM Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu CFR.
