Former President Goodluck Jonathan is reportedly facing mounting pressure from influential figures in the Niger Delta to drop any plans of contesting the 2027 presidential election and instead support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Reliable sources said that the pressure is being spearheaded by prominent Niger Delta leaders, including former militant commander Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
According to insiders, some of Jonathan’s close associates and kinsmen have advised him to shelve any presidential ambition and rally behind Tinubu’s second-term project in the spirit of regional cooperation and political stability.
Tompolo reportedly visited Jonathan at his Otuoke residence in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on October 16, accompanied by the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), Chief Kestin Pondi, and the APC Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2023 Bayelsa election, Mr. Joshua Maciver, among others.
Sources disclosed that the closed-door meeting was largely political and focused on persuading Jonathan to forgo the 2027 race. Tompolo was said to have told the former president that the prevailing political mood in the Niger Delta was not favourable to his rumored ambition.
While Jonathan has not publicly declared any interest in returning to power, reports of quiet consultations and political movements around him have continued to fuel speculation ahead of the 2027 polls.
