“My Husband Is Looking For Nothing Again In The Villa” – Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan

By Adesina Soyooye

For those asking and urging former Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, a former President of Nigeria to contest again for the office he left in 2015, his wife, former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has  a response. “Perish the thought”.

In the past couple of weeks, the rumour mill has been strong over the North wooing Jonathan to run again in 2027. Allegedly, a number of stakeholders in the North promised full backing for Jonathan to run against President Bola Tinubu.

Jonathan was denied a second term in office in 2015 by a coalition gobbled together by Tinubu under the All Progressives Congress, APC, which fielded former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and went ahead to defeat Jonathan, an incumbent President, under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It was the first time an incumbent President in Nigeria, would be defeated, and the first time an incumbent would peacefully accept a defeat, and hand over to an opposition party.

But since Jonathan’s exit, and especially since 2023, his name has been cropping up as a possible/would-be Presidential contestant.

While 2027 is about three years away, the speculation has come on strong again.

But on Wednesday, his wife put a permanent stop to the speculation.

Speaking at a gathering of the Greater Igbo Forum, Mrs Jonathan whose maternal home is Umuahia, Abia State, said her husband has no intention of contesting for any office again. According to her, President Jonathan, having already served in high profile political positions in the country, and capped it with the office of the President, is not looking for anything again. He is focused, she said, in supporting  every effort to improve the lot of the country and uniting its people.

Mrs Jonathan: “My husband has reached the pinnacle of political office. What is he looking for again? We are not going in again.

“We should love this Country more than ourselves. Because if you don’t love this country, what is the future of our children?

“Let us manage one another. Let us love ourselves. Let us be united and be our brothers’ keepers.”

Dr Jonathan rose from being a Deputy Governor, to becoming the Governor of Bayelsa State, to the Vice President of Nigeria, and later, Acting President when President Umaru Yar’adua whose Vice President he was became very ill. He was sworn-in as President on Yar’dua’s passing to serve out the late President’s tenure.

In 2011, he contested for the office under the PDP, his Party, and won. His bid for a second full term in 2015 was aborted by Tinubu’s APC which fielded Buhari.

Since his exit from office, Jonathan has been running his Foundation and been very much involved in Regional, Continental and International Affairs as a very respected Statesman.