Patience Jonathan rules out Returning to Aso Rock, Says “I’ll Campaign with Remi Tinubu for 2027 Election”

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Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has declared that she will not be returning to Aso Rock but will instead throw her full support behind President Bola Tinubu and campaign with current First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking during the Women Icon Leadership Awards in Abuja on Saturday night—an event organised by Accolade Dynamics Limited—Jonathan was reported to have made it clear her endorsement of rotational leadership, stating that the “turn-by-turn” model was critical for national unity.

While acknowledging the President’s daughter and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, Jonathan said: “I was supposed to call her first, but I saved her for last: the daughter of our wonderful President, the President of Nigeria, the one and only we believe in — President Bola Tinubu. Iyaloja, thank you for standing with women because these are your women. Carry them along; they are with you. Nigerian fashion

“All the way, we are with you. No shaking. We will follow. Direct us, and we will follow. Because there is only one president at a time. We don’t have two presidents. I am outspoken — if I don’t like something, I will say it. But if I like something, I die for it.

“I believe in one president. I believe in turn-by-turn. When it’s your turn, I will support you. When it’s not your turn, step back—so that the country can move forward.”

Jonathan also reflected on her longstanding relationship with Remi Tinubu, which, she said, dates back to their time as wives of public officeholders before either reached the presidency.

“I didn’t just know her (Senator Oluremi Tinubu) just because she’s the First Lady, no. We worked together. We worked as a group,” she said.

“We are groups. We worked when I was a deputy governor’s wife. We worked when I was a governor’s wife. I know her. I talked with Oluremi. Even when my husband was the vice president, Oluremi stood with her husband and supported us during our first election. They supported us. So, for me, I have a conscience. I cannot abandon my friend, whether you like it or not.