He made the call on Friday in a Facebook post, saying that has been his philosophy for several years.

The former president stressed that in the pursuit of power, nobody’s ambition was worth the blood of any citizen.

Rather, he stated that it was better to gain honour at the cost of losing power than to gain power at the cost of losing honour.

Dr Jonathan explained living with such a philosophy has brought great peace to him, as well as his country – Nigeria.

He appealed to all leaders facing challenging situations – in government, at the polls, or in dealings with fellow political actors – to prioritise love and honour in all of their dealings.

The post reads:

Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any citizen. It is better to gain honour at the cost of losing power, than to gain power at the cost of losing honour.

At any point in time, the power of love should matter more than the love of power. This is my philosophy. I have lived it. It has brought great peace to both my beloved nation and I.

And I recommend it to all leaders facing challenging situations, either in government, or at the polls, or even in their dealingswith fellow political actors. GEJ

The post by the elder statesman followed the recent elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including the governorship polls in Edo and Ondo States.

He first assumed the office of the President of Nigeria between 2010 to 2011, succeeding former President Musa Yar’Adua’s who died May 5, 2010.

Upon completing the term, Dr Jonathan ran for President on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2011 and won, extending his stay in office by another four years.

In line with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, he sought re-election in the 2015 general polls conducted by INEC under the leadership of Professor Attahiru Jega.

The former president, however, lost to President Muhammadu Buhari, the

first time an incumbent president lost re-election and conceded defeat in the history of Nigeria.

He had served as the Bayelsa State Governor between 2005 and 2007, and later Vice President from 2007 to 2010.