Goodluck Jonathan urged by Niger Delta leader Tompolo to drop his 2027 presidential bid and support President Tinubu’s re-election effort.
Goodluck Jonathan has been urged by some of his Niger Delta kinsmen to abandon any plans of contesting the 2027 presidential election and instead throw his support behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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The appeal was led by prominent ex-militant commander Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), who reportedly visited the former president at his hometown, Otuoke in Bayelsa State, last week.
Sources said the meeting, which marked Tompolo’s second public appearance in over a decade, was political rather than merely a peace mission.
Tompolo, accompanied by Kestin Pondi, Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, and Joshua Maciver, the 2023 APC deputy governorship candidate in Bayelsa, is said to have told Jonathan that the “public mood does not favour” his reported ambition.
According to sources familiar with the discussion, Tompolo conveyed that the Niger Delta’s political sentiment was largely supportive of President Tinubu’s re-election bid. He cautioned that Jonathan might struggle to secure local backing if he insisted on running on any party platform.
“Tompolo impressed it upon Dr Jonathan to support President Tinubu in the spirit of continuity,” one source said.
“He advised the former president to take a cue from his wife, Patience, and Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who have both shown support for Tinubu’s second term.”
Tompolo reportedly reminded Jonathan that the recent resignation of Governor Diri from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and his expected defection to the APC further tilted the region’s political balance in Tinubu’s favour.
He also urged the ex-president not to be swayed by political advisers suggesting he could unseat Tinubu in 2027, insisting that the “psyche of most Nigerians” favours continuity.
“Tompolo told him that nobody can defeat President Tinubu in a free and fair election, given his performance so far,” another source said.
“He maintained that Jonathan should work for Tinubu’s re-election, even as a statesman, without necessarily joining the APC.”
While Tompolo did not address reporters after the closed-door meeting, Jonathan confirmed the visit but offered a different emphasis, describing it as a discussion on peace and unity in the Niger Delta.
“Since I left office, we have not seen each other,” Jonathan said. “Tompolo is one young man who has played a key role in ensuring peace in our region. We spoke about issues affecting our people and the need to maintain stability.”
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Sources close to the former president, however, said he listened “attentively” to Tompolo’s advice and promised to reflect on it before making any political decisions regarding the 2027 elections.
