By Matthew Denis, Abuja
Former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has called on politicians to embrace Chief Solomon Lar’s legacy by shunning politics of religious bigotry, ethnic discrimination, personal attack, among other vices in the 2023 general elections.
He made the disclosure as he chaired the Chief Solomon Lar’s Book Launch held in Abuja on Thursday.
Recall that the late Solomon Lar was the founding father of the Peoples Democratic Party and pioneer Chairman of the party. The late astute politician was the former governor of Plateau State.
Speaking at the event, Jonathan said, “As we head towards 2023 general elections, I will urge that we all as critical stakeholders, whether as candidates or voters, embrace the principle of Chief Solomon Lar’s politics of inclusion, bridge-building, unity and accommodation.
“And what a time to publicly present this important book than now that the nation is again embarking on another democratic expedition, especially as the political temperature is already rising.
“As we head towards 2023 general elections, I will urge that we all, as critical stakeholders, whether as candidates or voters, embrace the principle of Chief Solomon Lar’s politics of inclusion, bridge-building, unity and accommodation.”
Jonathan stressed that if we had continued in the same political trajectory promoted by the likes of Chief Lar in the Second and Third Republics, our country would have been better off in terms of our unity, peace and pace of development.
He said, “Chief Lar offered love in the place of bitter and divisive politicking, built bridges to cement the cracks in our unity and showed courage in the face of injustice and military dictatorship.
“Sadly, we are now playing the kind of politics that Chief Lar detested. Issues around ethnicity, religious bigotry, hate speech and personal attacks, rather than principles and policies affecting the lives of Nigerians have continued to dominate political discourses around the country, as political parties begin their campaigns.”
According to him, there is no country that has made meaningful progress in the face of deep ethnic and religious division as is being experienced in our country today.
“ I urge today’s politicians who are seeking to occupy different elective offices across the nation as well as leaders and promoters of the various political parties to learn from the likes of Chief Solomon Lar who played politics of sacrifice and selflessness, in the interest of the people.”
The former President stated that he was glad that the book is an autobiography written by the late sage himself in collaboration with his age-old friend Sheikh Mohammed Amin Abdallah. It would have been inconceivable if Chief Lar, the well-loved charismatic politician, had exited this world without directly sharing the experience of his enviable political behavior with us.
“I believe that we all have so much to learn from Chief Solomon Lar, a sincere statesman who played politics of inclusion, honesty, courage and patriotism. With this book, he has given Nigerians an invaluable gift, which I see as bearing interesting perspectives on Nigeria’s march to democracy and development.
“I always like to cite the fact that Chief Lar was the only Governor from the North who contested and won election under the platform of Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), a party that had the South as its strong hold in the Second Republic. That alone epitomized his character and disposition as a bridge builder and advocate of national unity.
“The fact that he co-authored his own biography which we are launching today with an Islamic cleric, being a Christian, speaks to the boundless nature of his broadmindedness, spirit of tolerance and religious understanding.”