Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that the 2015 general election was marred by significant irregularities, stating he could have halted the voting process due to widespread failures of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s card reader system.
In a recent interview, Jonathan disclosed that the card reader technology rejected him, his wife, and his mother at their polling unit, creating widespread frustration among voters in the South while the North was allowed to vote without proper accreditation.
“In 2015, the INEC card reader rejected many voters in the South, including me and my wife, causing frustration. Meanwhile, in the North, instructions allowed everyone to vote without accreditation. So you really see something not quite right. I could have stopped the election,” Jonathan stated.
The former president described the 2015 electoral atmosphere as highly tense, noting the pronounced North-South and Christian-Muslim divisions that characterized the period. Despite these challenges and irregularities, Jonathan chose not to disrupt the electoral process.
In a separate development, Jonathan has raised alarm about a fraudulent Instagram account impersonating him, urging the public to disregard any content from the fake profile.
Through his Media Aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan issued a statement Thursday warning about the impostor account operating under the handle “goodluck_ebelejonathan,” which has been deceptively posting content, some copied from his official Facebook page.
The statement, titled “Beware of Fake Instagram Account Impersonating H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,” clarified that the account falsely represents the former president.
“Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,” the statement read.
Jonathan’s spokesperson emphasized that the former president does not operate any Instagram profile and advised media outlets and the public to avoid engaging with the fraudulent account.
“We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account. The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile,” the statement warned.
