President Goodluck Jonathan has said he is prepared to hand over to a new government if he loses in a free, fair and credible presidential election in March.

Speaking during a live edition of Presidential Media Chat from State House, Abuja, on Wednesday, he said his major interest was to ensure the conduct of a free and fair election.

Jonathan noted that just like in 2011 when he expressed similar sentiment, he would gladly go home if he fails to secure the mandate of the people for a second tenure, saying that no politician’s ambition was more important than the interest of the country.

According to him, if he was ready to hand over in 2011 even if he was not voted into power, he would do the same in 2015 if he is not re-elected. Jonathan's words:

“If in 2011 I said I will conduct free and fair elections and if I lose, I will happily go home; it should be recorded that as at that time, no African sitting president had lost an election, but within this period, a number of African sitting presidents have lost election.

“I wanted to create history of being the first African sitting president that lost election, but let the world know that it was free and fair. Then, I just concluded the late president’s term, I was the president for about a year, acting for some months, but I said I would be happy to go, that this nation is more important than any human being.

“Anybody who wants to hold this office of the president or any office at all and feels that he is more important than the nation, that is not quite right.

“So, if as at that time I insisted that I was ready to conduct free and fair election and that if I lose I will go, not to talk about now that Nigerians have given me the opportunity to be here for four full years.

“So, if the elections are conducted and I lose, of course, we will inaugurate a new government. There is no way I will say if I lose, I will not hand over.”

•Excerpted from a Nigerian Tribune report. Photo shows President Jonathan.