Wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience said the former first family would give their support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
There has been growing calls to ex-President Jonathan to contest for presidency in 2027, with the President of the Nigeria Rescue Mission Organisation, Dr Jibril Mustapha most recently urging him: “We urge former President Goodluck Jonathan to consider this call and to step forward as a candidate who can unite our country and lead us towards a brighter future.”
On Saturday at the Women Icon Leader of the Year Award organised by Accolade Dynamics Limited in Abuja, the call excited response from Mrs Jonathan.
The former first lady said her husband would not run against the incumbent, and attributed her position to cordial feelings that her family and that of the Tinubus have towards each other.
She revealed this at the event that had the President’s daughter, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo in attendance.
Her words: “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 because these are your 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. I am outspoken—if I don’t like something, I will say it. But if I like something, I die with it.
“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.
“I didn’t just know her (Senator Oluremi Tinubu) just because she’s the First Lady, no. We worked together. We worked as a group.
“We are groups. We worked when I was a deputy governor’s wife. We worked when I was a governor’s wife. I know her. I talked with Oluremi. Even when my husband was the vice president, Oluremi stood with her husband and supported us during our first election. They supported us. So, for me, I have a conscience. I cannot abandon my friend, whether you like it or not.
“Because, you see, this is turn by turn. Today is my turn—I will go. Tomorrow, it will be another person’s turn—then we go. And when we go, will we still meet. Where will we meet? I don’t know.
“I stand by my friend. My friend is great. I told her I would campaign with her. I’m not denying her. I’m not running. I’m not going back to the villa. If you call me, I will not go.
“I say it every day. Don’t you like how young I look? People say, ‘Mama, you are young, you are young!,’ it is because I have rest of mind, yes. I don’t want to go there—let my friend be there. Let me also ‘wahala’ her the way she used to ‘wahala’ me when I was there! Let me also tease her. And until she comes out, she will be young. But for now she won’t be young.”
