Jonathan At State House, Briefs Tinubu on Engagements to Entrench Peace in Africa

* Stresses need to unite all political leaders for nation’s development 

Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that he’s doing his possible best to entrench peace in the West Africa sub region and on the African continent which is bedevilled with menace of crisis. 

The ex-president, who met on Friday behind closed-doors with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, briefed the president about his mandate as the Special Envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) where he is leading mediation talks.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Jonathan said: “I am like a roving Ambassador seeing how we can bring peace to the sub region and the continent.

“My visit would have taken place since last week but it couldn’t hold. But today, it has now coincided with the Supreme Court judgment of yesterday. So, it is an opportunity for me to also congratulate Mr President.”

According to him, “We have challenges economically now but we still have what it takes to lead Africa.

“When you see me here, that is what we have come to do, to move Nigeria forward and to move ECOWAS forward and to move the African continent forward.

“These are some of the issues. I will continue to have conversations with Mr President, including briefing him on all my foreign programmes.”

Jonathan said the presidency will now see more of him, “because there are certain things we discussed and the country must move forward. Elections are over and so we must move forward”.

On his perspective following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the disputed election appeals instituted by the opposition candidates, Jonathan said: “We need to bring all our political leaders including all our former presidents together. We should not be fighting. If top leaders continue fighting, they will not suffer that much but the downtrodden will suffer. And we want to end that tension so that we can move forward.”