A group of youth activists under the banner of Bring Back Our Goodluck has publicly apologised to former President Goodluck Jonathan, admitting they were misled by what they called a “damaging narrative” that linked him to the sponsorship of Boko Haram.
Speaking in Maiduguri, the National Chairman of the group, Grema Kyari, told hundreds of supporters mobilising for Jonathan’s return in 2027 that they now believed his 2015 defeat was the result of a foreign-backed “regime change”.
“I come before you not only as the National Chairman of ‘Bring Back Our Goodluck’ but as a witness to history and as a Nigerian who, like millions of others, was once misled,” Kyari said.
“During the presidency of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a damaging narrative was widely spread in our communities that he sponsored Boko Haram and used the military to suppress us. These lies thrived in an environment of restricted access to truth. But today… I know those accusations were false.”
Kyari tendered a “heartfelt public apology” to the former president, declaring, “We now recognise that he was a leader with integrity. We now believe that President Goodluck Jonathan was removed from office in 2015 as a result of regime change orchestrated by foreign powers, especially the democrats–Obama/Biden US administration of 2014 in connivance with some desperate politicians in Nigeria.”
The group says it has concluded plans to embark on a nationwide mobilisation tour that will culminate in a “one-million-man march” to Jonathan’s Bayelsa country home to appeal to him to run again in the 2027 presidential election.
Kyari praised Jonathan’s statesmanship, noting that he conceded to Muhammadu Buhari “even before the final results were declared” to prevent post-election violence — a move he described as “courageous and selfless”.
He also hailed Jonathan for resisting international pressure to legalise same-sex marriage, recalling how he signed the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act in 2014 despite “economic and diplomatic consequences”.
“In 2012, when Nigerians protested against the removal of fuel subsidies under Occupy Nigeria, President Jonathan listened and partially reversed the policy – a mark of humility,” Kyari added.
According to him, Jonathan ran an inclusive government based on merit rather than tribe or political loyalty – qualities he insisted Nigeria “desperately needs today”.
“Nigeria is in urgent need of a leader who understands that peace is more valuable than power, unity more important than personal ambition, and compassion more enduring than politics,” Kyari stressed.