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Fresh Pressure Mounts on Jonathan to Step Aside for Tinubu in 2027.
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Tompolo visited Jonathan in Otuoke to discuss political direction for 2027.
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Jonathan appreciated the advice but said the meeting focused on peace efforts.
Fresh pressure is building on former President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon his speculated plan to contest the 2027 presidential election, as influential Niger Delta figures intensify efforts to rally him behind President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that findings revealed that ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, is spearheading the regional campaign urging Jonathan to withdraw from the race and instead back Tinubu’s re-election.
Tompolo, alongside key associates such as the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, High Chief Kestin Pondi, and the APC’s 2023 Bayelsa deputy governorship candidate, Joshua Maciver, reportedly paid a private visit to Jonathan at his Otuoke home in Bayelsa State on October 16.
The meeting, said to be Tompolo’s first major public appearance in nearly a decade, lasted several hours. Contrary to initial claims that the discussion focused on Niger Delta security, credible sources confirmed that it was largely political.
According to insiders, Tompolo’s mission was to convince Jonathan not to run in 2027 but to support Tinubu. A close associate of the former president disclosed that Niger Delta stakeholders believe Tinubu has done well for the region through projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the approval of a new university for Ogoni land.
Tompolo, who enjoys a renewed multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract under Tinubu’s administration, also leads a grassroots political movement known as the “PBAT Door-to-Door Movement.” He reportedly told Jonathan that the Niger Delta no longer supports his presidential ambition and that Tinubu deserves to complete his programmes.
Jonathan, sources said, thanked Tompolo for his counsel and promised to consider it carefully. However, in his official remarks to journalists, the former president maintained that their discussion centred on peace and stability in the Niger Delta.
Meanwhile, former Bayelsa Labour Party governorship candidate, Udengs Eradiri, dismissed claims of Jonathan’s ambition, describing them as mere speculation.
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