FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has warned politicians against using the pursuit of electoral victory as an excuse for misconduct, insisting that political contests must be conducted within established rules.
News Point Nigeria reports that Jonathan spoke on Thursday in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at a public lecture held to mark the 80th birthday of Kanu Agabi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Jonathan said politicians could not justify every action taken to win an election by simply describing it as politics, stressing that political competition, like a football match, had rules that must be respected.
“In politics it’s a disaster. People do stupid things, also even criminal things And they will tell you it is politics. It is not politics. Politics has rules,” he said.
“Politics is like a soccer match. You play according to the rules and that’s why the courts start to mediate if you go against the rules. Otherwise you can do anything and win an election and walk away.”
The former president also said Nigeria’s fight against corruption required more than laws and enforcement agencies, arguing that lasting change would depend on building a society where ethical conduct was valued and wrongdoing rejected.
“The challenge before Nigeria is not simply to make laws against corruption. It’s to build a culture in which ethical conduct becomes a norm, where public office is treated as a trust, and where institutions are strong enough to uphold accountability,” he said.
Jonathan said Nigerians must also develop a culture that discourages wrongdoing rather than celebrating people accused of misconduct because of their wealth or influence.
“We can continue to claim that private corruption will just be moving around the circle. It cannot go anywhere, until we develop that culture, and nobody does wrong willingly,” he said.
The former president recalled an experience in Rwanda, where he said the country’s social values discouraged public officials from accepting gifts that could be considered inappropriate.
Jonathan said the experience demonstrated how deeply rooted social norms could influence public conduct beyond what formal laws prescribed.
“I gave this to my aides to give this to people who take care of me. If you give me a hotel room where nobody can see anybody, where it is free, they say it is not the culture of Rwanda to accept the little gift — just a gift,” he said.
He also criticised the practice of giving prominence and recognition to people suspected of wrongdoing, particularly when their wealth earned them positions or honours in religious, traditional and political institutions.
Jonathan said the judiciary and other institutions had an important role to play in holding people accountable when electoral rules were violated, but stressed that the responsibility for fighting corruption should not be left entirely to government agencies.
“All of us Nigerians have the major role to play if we want to suppress corruption, not just the bodies established by law to discipline and punish those who do it,” he said.
The former president also called for greater discipline among political leaders, saying those in positions of authority must demonstrate the standards they expect from the people they lead.
“It does not take a lifetime to deal with this kind of issue. But maximum discipline by the leaders. Because if the leaders are not disciplined, the followers are not disciplined,” he said.
Jonathan urged Nigerians not to lose hope over the country’s challenges, saying difficult periods could be overcome when citizens and leaders were willing to take collective responsibility for building a better society.
The remarks were made at the public lecture organised as part of activities marking Agabi’s 80th birthday. The lecture, titled “Prioritising Ethical Conduct and Anti-Corruption Measures in Governance in Nigeria,” was delivered by Simon Kolawole, founder and CEO of Cable Media and Publishing Limited.
Agabi, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, turned 80 on July 9, 2026, while the special event was held in Abuja on September 24 to honour him with the public lecture and the unveiling of three books published in his honour.