Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Jonathan, was inaugurated as the President of Nigeria on February 10, 2010, under special parliamentary procedures, succeeding Umaru Musa Yar'Adua who was unable to carry out Presidential duties, hence his assumption of the office. Jonathan, the People's Democratic Party nominee, was a former university professor and a Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, an oil-rich state in the South-South geopolitical zone in Nigeria. His running mate, was Namadi Sambo, an erstwhile architect and former governor of Kaduna state, inaugurated as Vice President of Nigeria later on the 19th of May, 2010. The Jonathan Administration launched the
History of Nigeria Saudi Arabia for medical attention. He remained incommunicado for 50 days, by which time rumours were rife that he had died. This continued until the BBC aired an interview that was allegedly done via telephone from the president's sick bed in Saudi Arabia. As of January 2010, he was still abroad. In February 2010, Goodluck Jonathan began serving as acting President in the absence of Yaradua. In May 2010, the Nigerian government learned of Yar'Adua's death after a long battle with existing health problems and an undisclosed illness. This lack of communication left the new acting President Jonathan with no