JONATHAN UNDER PRESSURE AS NIGER DELTA LEADERS URGE HIM TO SHELVE 2027 PRESIDENTIAL BID
Read Time:1 Minute, 37 Second
Prominent figures from the Niger Delta region have appealed to former President Goodluck Jonathan not to contest the 2027 presidential election, urging him instead to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Leading the call is ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, who recently visited Jonathan in his hometown, Otuoke, Bayelsa State. The visit marked Tompolo’s second major public appearance in over a decade.
According to sources, Tompolo told Jonathan that the mood in the Niger Delta was not in favour of his reported plan to return to power. He reportedly cautioned the former president that he might not enjoy the necessary home support if he decided to contest under any party platform.
Tompolo was said to have cited two key developments as evidence of Jonathan’s weakening political influence in the region — the public endorsement of Tinubu by his wife, Patience Jonathan, and the recent resignation of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of his expected defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He advised Jonathan to “borrow a leaf” from both his wife and the Bayelsa governor by aligning with Tinubu’s continuity project, arguing that the South — including the South-South, South-East, and South-West — stood to benefit more from unity than division in 2027.
Jonathan was said to have appreciated Tompolo’s visit, describing him as a young man who has contributed to peace and unity in the Niger Delta. He reportedly noted that their discussion centred on peace and the protection of oil infrastructure but did not make any public commitment regarding his political plans.
Insiders, however, said the former president promised to reflect on the advice.
The intervention by Niger Delta political actors is seen as a major signal of shifting alliances in the region ahead of the 2027 elections, with many stakeholders now leaning towards continuity under President Tinubu rather than a Jonathan comeback.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0