Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to the insurrection initiated by Pro-Trump supporters at the United States Capitol yesterday January 6.

Jonathan in a statement he released, said it is better to lose power at the cost of gaining peace, than to gain power at the price of losing the peace.

He further said it is never too late to reject the venom and inject the serum of peace. The statement read; “I have repeatedly said nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen, in any part of the world. Absolutely nobody.  “Again, I reiterate that it is better to lose power at the cost of gaining peace, than to gain power at the price of losing the peace.

“As a leader, one must not just look unto one’s own interest, but the interest and the good of society. “It is never too late to reject the venom and inject the serum of peace. It is necessary to state that the highest purpose of leadership is to bring people together, even those that do not share in your philosophy. “And you do not need an office to do that. All you need to achieve that height of leadership is conscience. Let us be men of conscience at this hour.”

World leaders and governments expressed shock and outrage at the storming of the US Capitol in Washington by supporters of President Donald Trump. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday she was “furious and saddened” by the events and said Trump shared blame for the unrest.

“I deeply regret that President Trump has not conceded his defeat, since November and again yesterday,” she said. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Trump supporters to “stop trampling on democracy”.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Twitter condemned the “disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power”.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab added in his own tweet: “The US rightly takes great pride in its democracy, and there can be no justification for these violent attempts to frustrate the lawful and proper transition of power.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “rampage at the Capitol yesterday was a disgraceful act and it must be vigorously condemned.”

“I have no doubt that… American democracy will prevail. It always has,” added Netanyahu, who has repeatedly called Trump Israel’s best-ever friend in the White House.

The EU’s foreign policy chief condemned an “assault on US democracy”.

“In the eyes of the world, American democracy tonight appears under siege,” Josep Borrell tweeted.

Calling the action an “assault on US democracy, its institutions and the rule of law”, he added: “This is not America. The election results of 3 November must be fully respected.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said: “We will not give in to the violence of a few who want to question” democracy. In a video posted on his official Twitter account, he added: “What happened today in Washington is not American”.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also condemned “a serious attack on democracy”.

Russian officials pointed to the storming of the US Capitol as evidence of America’s decline, with Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the Russian upper house’s foreign affairs committee, saying it showed US democracy was “limping on both feet”.

“The celebration of democracy has ended. It has, unfortunately, hit rock bottom, and I say this without a hint of gloating,” Kosachyov said in a post on Facebook. His counterpart in the lower house, Leonid Slutsky, said “the United States certainly cannot now impose electoral standards on other countries and claim to be the world’s ‘beacon of democracy’.”

Polish President Andrzej Duda, a close Trump ally who did not congratulate Biden on his victory until more than a month after the election, described the events as “an internal issue for the United States”. “Poland believes in the power of American democracy,” he added on Twitter.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the chaos unleashed on the US Capitol “shows above all how fragile and vulnerable Western democracy is”.

“We saw that unfortunately the ground is fertile for populism, despite the advances in science and industry,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast by state television. “I hope the whole world and the next occupants of the White House will learn from it.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “Canadians are deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy in the United States, our closest ally and neighbour.”

Australian PM Scott Morrison condemned the “very distressing scenes” in the US.

“We condemn these acts of violence and look forward to a peaceful transfer of Government to the newly elected administration in the great American democratic tradition,” he tweeted.

Jacinda Ardern tweeted: “Democracy – the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully should never be undone by a mob.” The PM added her country’s thoughts were with everyone “devastated” by the events in Washington, adding: “what is happening is wrong.”