{Outgoing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said Sunday that some of his friends deserted him shortly after he conceded defeat to his rival General Muhammadu Buhari in the March election.}<\/p>\n
Mr Jonathan publicly conceded defeat to Buhari on March 31, a decision which was commended by local and foreign commentators and doused tension in the country.<\/p>\n
“Some hard decisions have their own costs. No doubt about that. It is a very costly decision but I must be very ready to pay for it,” Jonathan said during a farewell church service in Abuja.<\/p>\n
Jonathan’s public admission of defeat in the nail-biting election came more than six hours after he rang Buhari to concede, earning him widespread praise for statesmanship.<\/p>\n
“If you take certain decisions, you should know that people close to you will even abandon you at some point. I tell people that more of my so-called friends will disappear.”<\/p>\n
Many party faithful and erstwhile loyalists of Jonathan have either crossed over to Buhari’s All Progressives Congress or made harsh statements against Jonathan’s party or its leaders.<\/p>\n
{{Persecution}}<\/p>\n
Jonathan said he was not surprised by the desertions or statements by his former loyalists, adding that former South African president Frederik de Klerk faced a similar situation when he decided to abolish minority rule in that country.<\/p>\n
The leader said that de Klerk’s marriage to his wife, Marike, broke down after he took that decision.<\/p>\n
“But that is the only decision that made South Africa to still be a global player. If by this time w still have minority rule in South africa, nobody would have been talking about South Africa in the present generation,” he said.<\/p>\n
He said that ministers who served under him should brace themselves for “persecution” following his loss and his decision to concede defeat.<\/p>\n
Buhari, a former military leader, is scheduled to be sworn into office on May 29.
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