Reports indicated that pressure was mounting on former President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon his alleged plan to contest the 2027 presidential election, as influential figures in the Niger Delta were said to be intensifying efforts to persuade him to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election instead.
According to The Punch, former militant leader High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, was reportedly leading the regional campaign urging Jonathan to drop the idea of returning to the presidency.
It was gathered that Tompolo, accompanied by some of his close associates — including the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services, High Chief Kestin Pondi, and the former APC deputy governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Joshua Maciver — visited Jonathan at his Otuoke residence in Bayelsa on October 16.
Sources disclosed that although initial reports claimed the meeting was focused on peace and security in the Niger Delta, it was, in fact, primarily political and lasted several hours.
Tompolo was said to have urged the former president to back President Tinubu’s second-term bid, citing ongoing development projects in the region, such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the newly approved university for Ogoni land.
A close associate of Jonathan reportedly confirmed that the former president had been considering a return to active politics. A source from Tompolo’s camp described the visit as highly significant, noting that it was his first public appearance in almost ten years — a reflection of the seriousness of the mission.
Tompolo, who has been a strong supporter of President Tinubu, was said to be managing a renewed multibillion-naira pipeline surveillance contract and leading the “PBAT Door-to-Door Movement,” a grassroots initiative mobilising regional support for Tinubu’s re-election.
According to one of the participants at the meeting, Tompolo cautioned Jonathan against yielding to politicians urging him to challenge Tinubu, warning that such a move would fail since he no longer enjoyed sufficient grassroots support in the Niger Delta.
He said, “He told him point-blank that no one can defeat President Tinubu in a free and fair contest considering his performance so far.”
“Tompolo stressed that most Nigerians, especially in the South, want continuity to allow Tinubu to complete his programmes.”