Wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, has said her husband will not contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election — even though it was Tinubu who played a key role in Jonathan’s defeat in 2015.
Speaking on Saturday in Abuja at the Women Icon Leader of the Year Award organised by Accolade Dynamics Limited, Mrs Jonathan said her family would rather support Tinubu’s re-election than challenge him, citing long-standing political ties and a commitment to political “turn-by-turn.”
Her remarks came amid renewed calls for the former president to return to the political fray. In April, Dr. Jibril Mustapha, President of the Nigeria Rescue Mission Organisation, urged Jonathan to contest in 2027, saying Nigeria needed a unifying figure like him to lead the country forward.
But speaking at the Abuja event — which was attended by Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of the President — Mrs Jonathan rejected the calls, insisting her husband would not stand against Tinubu, despite the widely acknowledged fact that Tinubu was instrumental in building the coalition that unseated Jonathan from power in 2015.
“I believe in one President. I believe in turn-by-turn. When it’s your turn, I will support you. When it’s not your turn, step back — so that the country can move forward,” she said, seemingly brushing aside past political betrayals for the sake of national stability.
She added: “I was supposed to call her [Tinubu’s daughter] first, but I saved her for last — the daughter of our wonderful President, the President of Nigeria, the one and only we believe in — President Bola Tinubu. Iyaloja, thank you for standing with women. Carry them along; they are with you.”
“All the way, we are with you. No shaking. We will follow. Direct us, and we will follow because there is only one President at a time. We don’t have two Presidents.”
Mrs Jonathan also touched on her personal relationship with the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, noting that their bond predated their time in Aso Rock. She credited the Tinubus with supporting her husband’s 2011 presidential ambition — although that support did not stop Tinubu from later mobilizing opposition forces that culminated in Jonathan’s defeat four years later.
Since leaving office, Jonathan has largely avoided direct partisan contests, even as sections of the political class continue to view him as a potential stabilizing force. But with his wife’s emphatic statement, it appears the former president will remain on the sidelines in 2027 — and perhaps, for good.
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