A public policy organisation on African affairs, Afripol recommended Dr Jonathan for the prize in recognition of his decision to accept defeat when President Muhammadu Buhari was declared the winner of Nigeria's recent presidential election. Even before Nigeria's Independent National Election Commission (Inec) declared President Buhari the winner, Dr Jonathan rang him to congratulate him.
Recognising that he had lost, Dr Jonathan publicly conceded defeat, becoming the first incumbent Nigerian president to accept defeat at the polls and stand down. His action staved off an anticipated constitutional crisis, which many had expected, with several commentators predicting that widespread violence would follow the elections.
An Afripol spokesman said: "The peaceful way President Jonathan conceded to president-elect Buhari deserves the attention of Nobel Peace Prize committee. He may have not promoted fraternity between nations but he surely promoted fraternal peace among Nigerians by conceding power.
"The concession speech by President Jonathan averted bloodshed, violence and imbroglio in the most populous country in Africa. This gesture by Jonathan buttressed to the whole world that Nigeria has joined the comity of civilized nations."
According to Afripol, the will of Alfred Nobel, the progenitor of Nobel Prize stated that it should be awarded to whoever shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. If voted for the prize, Dr Jonathan will become the second Nigerian Nobel laureate after Professor Wole Soyinka who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.
Comments
Post a Comment