Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who resigned abruptly in 2015, warned Nigerians yesterday against “killers,” recalling that “they used hacksaw to cut me off power,” and urging eligible voters to beware of bloodthirsty politicians desperate for power in 2023.

Jonathan, accompanied by his wife, Dame Patience, issued the warning yesterday at Ibom Hall in Uyo, the state capital, during a thanksgiving ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the state’s creation.

According to him, the then-opposition used every weapon at their disposal, including propaganda, to discredit all of his people-oriented policies and programs in order to oust him from power, and he warned eligible voters not to be swayed by the allure of freebies by desperate politicians in the crucial elections next year.

“Do not make the mistake of electing murderers to office.” They used a hacksaw to cut me off from power when I was in power.

“If you kill to gain power, you will continue to kill to keep it.” That was the level of sabotage I encountered as President, Jonathan recalled.

Jonathan, who had vowed that no Nigerian’s blood would be shed for his ambition, said it was time to salvage the country and give it a new lease on life in 2023 by electing credible and patriotic leaders.