Former President Goodluck Jonathan is forging ahead with plans to contest the 2027 presidential election, despite public disapproval by his wife and former first lady, Patience.

At an event held in Abuja in May 2025 where she received the Women Icon Leader of the Year Award, Mrs. Jonathan complained about the pressures of holding public office saying: “The distress of Nigeria is so much that if God manages to bring you out of it, you should glorify Him. Why do you want to go back there? I need peace. My peace is enough.” She then went a step further to declare support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration and promised to campaign for his re-election.

But it was learnt from multiple sources within Jonathan’s circle that the former president is not dissuaded by his wife’s disapproval of his ambition and has instead intensified plans to ensure a smooth path to clinch the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket.

To avoid detection and interference from pro-government operatives, Daily Sun reliably learnt that his supporters, especially those in the inner circle, have converged several times outside Nigeria and the focus of some of their meetings have been to consolidate his support base within the PDP and to devise a plan to handle what they describe as the “Nyesom Wike problem,” referring to the conflict the PDP is having with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who during a media chat last Monday advised Jonathan not to contest but should instead preserve his legacy as a statesman. Wike accused those promoting Jonathan’s candidacy of hypocrisy and betrayal, pointing out how many of the same people undermined him during the 2015 presidential election.

Jonathan’s camp views Wike’s comments as a threat to his presidential ambitions, with a source privy to the discussions saying, “Wike’s opposition cannot be taken lightly and that is why some of our meetings have been about how to ensure he does not become a stumbling block.”

Daily Sun has learned that the former President wants his support base in the PDP led by the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed to work towards ensuring that those who could impede his emergence as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election are taken care of.

This directive includes steadying his support and preventing further defections from the PDP. Daily Sun learned that Jonathan’s camp successfully prevailed upon the Governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri, not to defect to the APC, a move that would have been a blow to the PDP’s stability in the South-South, Jonathan’s base.

When questioned about how the former President intends to navigate his wife’s public disapproval, a source within Jonathan’s circle dismissed it as a non-issue, saying: “That is the least of his problems. Recall that when he was Bayelsa governor and he was selected to be the running mate to the late President Musa Yar’adua, Patience staunchly opposed it. She preferred that he remained as a governor. But did her disapproval stop his emergence as Vice President?”

The former president’s camp had to also push back against those who said he had no legal right to contest for President again because he had been sworn in as President twice. They were quick to publish a court judgement which ruled that he has a constitutional right to contest for the presidential election, putting an end to the speculation of his eligibility. (Daily Sun, but headline rejigged)

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