ABUJA, Oct 24 (The African Portal) – Fresh pressure is mounting on former President Goodluck Jonathan to shelve his rumoured plan to contest the presidency in the 2027 general elections, as prominent figures in the Niger Delta intensify efforts to persuade him to instead support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
Findings by The PUNCH revealed that ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, is leading the regional movement urging Jonathan to drop his alleged presidential ambition and rally behind President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
It was gathered that Tompolo, accompanied by top associates including the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, High Chief Kestin Pondi, and the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 Bayelsa State election, Joshua Maciver, among others, paid a private visit to Jonathan at his Otuoke home in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on October 16.
The meeting, which reportedly lasted several hours, was Tompolo’s first public appearance in nearly 10 years—an indication of the gravity of his mission.
Contrary to initial media reports suggesting that discussions centred on peace and security in the Niger Delta, multiple impeccable sources disclosed that the visit was primarily political.
According to sources close to both men, Tompolo’s visit was aimed at discouraging Jonathan from seeking the presidency and urging him to support President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
A top Jonathan associate, who was privy to the meeting but declined to be named for lack of authorisation to speak, confirmed that the meeting indeed took place.
“It is true, the meeting held,” the source said. “Niger Delta stakeholders feel Tinubu has done a lot for the region—look at the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the university he approved for Ogoni land, and several other projects. So everyone feels we should back President Tinubu’s second-term bid. That was what Tompolo came to discuss with the former President. He urged him not to run but to support President Tinubu.”
Pressed on whether Jonathan was nursing a presidential ambition, the associate added, “Yes, he was considering it.”
A source within Tompolo’s camp corroborated this, describing the visit as historic.
“It was the first time in a decade that Tompolo would visit anyone. That alone shows the importance of the meeting,” the source said.
Tompolo, who has been a staunch supporter of President Tinubu, currently enjoys the renewal of the multibillion-naira pipeline surveillance contract first awarded to him during the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tompolo also leads a grassroots political structure known as the ‘PBAT Door-to-Door Movement’, mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election across the Niger Delta.
Further details from sources familiar with the meeting suggest that Tompolo told Jonathan that the psyche of Niger Deltans was not in favour of his rumoured ambition to return to power.
Credit: Punch
