Atiku Abubakar called former President Goodluck Jonathan a “decent” but “inexperienced” leader. Jonathan has since responded.
Atiku, a leader in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said this during an interview on Arise TV. He said that some of the problems that happened during Jonathan’s presidency were because he wasn’t properly prepared to be a leader.
Jonathan spoke at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) awards ceremony in Abuja on Monday. He didn’t name Atiku directly, but he did talk about the criticism.
He said, “Not too long ago, a very high-ranking politician said that Jonathan was too young and that’s why he made mistakes.”
“If I made mistakes, yes, nobody who becomes a governor or President will say they did not make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes.
“Do I have to be 100 years old before I can run the state?”
“I don’t think I would have been able to get through that process if I were that naive.”
Jonathan took over as President of Nigeria after Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died.
