- Niger Delta leaders have reportedly urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon any plans to contest the 2027 presidential election and instead support President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid. According to Punch, a delegation led by former militant leader Thompolo met with Jonathan on October 16 in Otoke, Bayelsa State.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan is reportedly under pressure to abandon any plans to contest the 2027 presidential election and instead support President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Niger Delta leaders have urged him to “forget about returning to power” and “support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term,” Punch reports.
Former militant leader Government Senior Chief Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, is said to be leading the operation. On October 16, he visited Jonathan in Otok, Bayelsa State, along with Tandita Security Bureau chief Kestin Pondi and APC’s 2023 Bayelsa State deputy governorship candidate Joshua Maciver.
The meeting, described as Tompolo’s “first public appearance in almost a decade”, lasted several hours – a sign of “how serious his mission is”, according to the report.
While some reports claimed the talks were about peace in the Niger Delta, insiders said Tompolo “went there to ask Jonathan not to run for president again but to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027”.
A close ally of Jonathan confirmed that “the meeting did take place.”
