Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
A Twitter user, POPSY YIN @yisacole claimed that Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Jonathan is the first person to congratulate Bola Tinubu of APC.
Tinubu help Buhari remove GEJ 2015. Today GEJ is the First person to congratulate him.
I hope you have the courage to apologize to the people you disrespected because of BAT/ OBI / ATIKJ.
Make that Call Fix Up.👍 pic.twitter.com/zwuO1ZKbAU— POPSY YIN (@yisacole) February 28, 2023
Verdict
False! Jonathan did not visit Tinubu to congratulate him. They visited him as part of the efforts of Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) to ensure post-election peace.
Full Text
A Twitter user, POPSY YIN @yisacole claimed that Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Jonathan is the first person to congratulate Bola Tinubu of APC.
The former president, alongside the ex- President of Ghana, Mr John Mahama led West African Elders Forum (WAEF) to Tinubu’s Abuja residence today as part of moves to ensure post-election peace.
The team had earlier visited other presidential candidates including Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Various APC faithfuls including Adamu Garba and Tinubu support groups have also made the claim.
Tinubu received congratulatory visits from African Union Observers Mission under the leadership of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Former Ghanaian President John Mahama and former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. It’s happening guys, it is all well done! pic.twitter.com/OyJEwmLJt9
— Adamu Garba II (@adamugarba) February 28, 2023
The former President of the FRN, His Excellency Goodluck Ebele Jonathan paid a visit to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to congratulate him for getting the required numbers needed for him to be crowned the next President after @MBuhari in a free & fair election.
Congratulations JAGABAN pic.twitter.com/AMZa0EPDt1— BAT PROJECT23 (@BatProjects23) February 28, 2023
Goodluck Jonathan pays Asiwaju Bola Tinubu a congratulatory visit. pic.twitter.com/DiLNMGa7ef
— Tinubu/Shettima Media Support (TMS) (@TinubuMediaS) February 28, 2023
With Tinubu leading, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is still collating the results of the presidential election as at press time.
Verification
To verify the claim, FactCheckElections found a tweet by PUNCH reporting that “the team was said to have appealed for calm and advised that the electoral umpire should also make spirited attempts to address some concerns that have so far been raised by all stakeholders.”
presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, in Abuja.
Jonathan was accompanied by the former President of Ghana, John Mahama; ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi and others.
The team was said to have appealed for calm and advised that the electoral umpire should also make spirited
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) February 28, 2023
Also in a tweet shortly after the visit, the ex-president wrote that in continuation of its engagement with major presidential candidates, the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) met with LP’s Peter Obi and APC’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu today.
#WAEF election mission to Nigeria in continuation of its engagement with major presidential candidates today, met with H. E Peter Obi and H. E . Bola Ahmed Tinubu. pic.twitter.com/p0hv3X7Fn1
— Goodluck E. Jonathan (@GEJonathan) February 28, 2023
Similarly, the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Media Centre also made a tweet on its page concerning the visit.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu receives in audience, representatives of the ECOWAS Election Monitoring Team, led by former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Former President of Ghana, Mr John Mahama at his residence in Abuja, today 28 February 2023”
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu receives in audience, representatives of the ECOWAS Election Monitoring Team, led by former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Former President of Ghana, Mr John Mahama at his residence in Abuja, today 28 February 2023 pic.twitter.com/AnlkZwOIrM
— Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Media Centre (@ABATMediaCentre) February 28, 2023
Conclusion
FactCheckElections can conclude that the claim is misleading. Jonathan and his team did not visit Tinubu to congratulate him. They visited him as part of the efforts of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) to ensure post-election peace.
Moreover, the team also visited other presidential candidates including Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the same intention.