Atiku under fire as group defends Jonathan’s legacy, labels criticism ‘mischievous’
The Citizens Alliance for Transparent Leadership (CATL) has launched a scathing rebuttal against former Vice-President , accusing him of distorting historical facts and attempting to downplay the legacy of former
The Citizens Alliance for Transparent Leadership (CATL) has launched a scathing rebuttal against former Vice-President , accusing him of distorting historical facts and attempting to downplay the legacy of former president
The group’s reaction followed remarks by Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who described Jonathan’s presidency as a “product of inexperience” and linked his defeat in the 2015 election to that alleged shortcoming.
In a statement jointly signed by its convener, Musa Ibrahim, and publicity secretary, Oghenekaro Samuel, CATL dismissed the claim as “not just wrong, but mischievous.”
“Dr. Jonathan rose through every constitutional rung of leadership—Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice-President, and Acting President during a critical national period. To dismiss that trajectory as ‘inexperience’ is either a willful distortion of facts or a troubling misunderstanding of governance itself,” the group stated.
Advertisement
300x250
CATL further questioned the basis of Atiku’s criticism, noting that while Jonathan’s leadership credentials were tested in office, Atiku’s experience at the presidential level remains unproven.
“It is remarkable that someone whose ‘experience’ is largely defined by repeated ambition now seeks to diminish the record of a leader whose competence was tested in office, under pressure, and in full public view,” the statement added.
Highlighting Jonathan’s tenure, the organisation pointed to what it described as key economic and structural reforms, insisting that Nigeria recorded measurable progress during his administration.
“Under Dr. Jonathan, Nigeria did not drift—it advanced. The economy was rebased to become Africa’s largest, the power sector was unbundled, agricultural corruption networks were dismantled, and long-abandoned rail and road infrastructure were revived. These are verifiable milestones, not opinions,” the group said.
CATL also underscored Jonathan’s 2015 concession as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Advertisement
300x250
“When faced with the choice between personal power and national peace, Dr. Jonathan chose Nigeria. His peaceful concession remains one of the most consequential acts of democratic leadership on the continent,” it noted.
Describing Atiku’s remarks as an attempt to “rewrite a lived national experience,” the group maintained that Nigerians are fully aware of the realities of that period.
“To now reduce that legacy to ‘inexperience’ is not just ironic—it is an attempt to gaslight a nation that lived through and benefited from those years,” the statement read.
The group stressed that leadership should be judged by outcomes rather than rhetoric.
“If experience is the argument, then the distinction is clear: one man has a record that can be scrutinised; the other has a résumé of repeated attempts,” it said.
CATL concluded that Jonathan’s legacy remains firmly rooted in policy achievements, economic growth, and democratic stability.
“Dr. Jonathan’s record is written in results and national impact. No amount of political revisionism can erase it,” the statement added.
