Jonathan: APC Gained Power Through Propaganda – Okonkwo

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused the All Progressives Congress of relying on propaganda to secure victory in the 2015 general election.

NOP.NG reports that Okonkwo alleged that the APC’s campaign against former President, Goodluck Jonathan, was built on sustained public criticism and negative messaging, which he said ultimately contributed to Jonathan’s defeat.

Okonkwo made the claims in a post shared on his 𝕏 handle.

According to Okonkwo, Jonathan was subjected to persistent attacks during the build-up to the 2015 presidential election.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) is a party that spreads propaganda. It gained power in 2015 through propaganda,” he wrote.

He claimed that the then-opposition party portrayed Jonathan in negative terms throughout the campaign.

“President Goodluck Jonathan was the incumbent President of Nigeria from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. He was booted out of office through name-calling,” Okonkwo said.

The ADC chieftain also alleged that former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, played a prominent role in the APC’s media campaign at the time.

“The public relations officer for Bola Tinubu, Lai Mohammed, was leading this propaganda effort at the time,” he added.

Okonkwo said Jonathan was repeatedly criticised for insecurity in the North-East and for his administration’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy.

According to him, the former President was labelled “clueless, corrupt, insensitive and incompetent” by his political opponents.

“He was rejected because he couldn’t control the security problems in the North-East. He was pummelled for removing fuel subsidy. Eventually, he couldn’t withstand the name-calling,” Okonkwo said.

Despite the criticism he faced, Okonkwo commended Jonathan for what he described as his tolerance and commitment to democratic principles.

He said the former President did not use state power to suppress the opposition or victimise political rivals.

“Jonathan was really fair; he didn’t go after the APC to eliminate them or target his political rivals for unfair treatment,” he wrote.

Okonkwo also recalled Jonathan’s widely cited position during the 2015 election.

“He preferred to say that ‘no politician’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian,’” he stated.

According to Okonkwo, Jonathan accepted the outcome of the election and congratulated his opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, even before the final results were officially declared.