Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, is pressing ahead with plans to contest the 2027 presidential election, despite open opposition from his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, and growing resistance within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At an Abuja event in May 2025, where she was honoured with the Women Icon Leader of the Year Award, the former first lady publicly opposed her husband’s return bid.
She said, “The distress of Nigeria is so much that if God manages to bring you out of it, you should glorify Him. Why do you want to go back there? I need peace. My peace is enough.”
Patience went further, pledging her support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration and promising to campaign for his re-election in 2027.
Despite her stance, Daily Sun gathered that Jonathan has intensified consultations, holding discreet meetings with allies outside Nigeria to consolidate his support base within the PDP.
A significant focus of these discussions has been how to counter the influence of Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, who recently advised Jonathan not to run, warning that those pushing his candidacy were the same forces that betrayed him in 2015.
One insider said, “Wike’s opposition cannot be taken lightly, and that is why some of our meetings have been about how to ensure he does not become a stumbling block.”
Jonathan is reportedly leaning on Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, to rally PDP structures behind him and block moves that could derail his candidacy.
His camp also intervened to dissuade Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, from defecting to the APC, a move which would have weakened Jonathan’s base in the South-South.
Sources close to the former president dismissed concerns about Patience Jonathan’s disapproval.
A source said, “That is the least of his problems. Recall that when he was Bayelsa governor and selected to be the running mate to the late President Yar’Adua, Patience staunchly opposed it. But did her disapproval stop his emergence as Vice President?”
Jonathan’s team has also sought to silence critics who argue that he is ineligible to contest, having been sworn in as president twice. They have circulated a court judgment affirming his constitutional right to seek the presidency again.
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