Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, has affirmed full support for First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as the nation heads toward the 2027 general elections.
Naija News reports that Jonathan, while speaking on Saturday night in Abuja, where she received the Women Icon Leader of the Year 2025 award from Accolade Dynamics Limited, declared she has no intention of returning to Aso Rock.
She reaffirmed her support for the principle of rotational leadership, describing the turn-by-turn system as vital to maintaining national unity.
Reflecting on her longstanding bond with Tinubu’s wife, Jonathan revealed that their relationship dates back to their days as wives of state governors and deputies, long before either entered Aso Rock.
She reiterated her commitment to standing by the First Lady and dismissed any speculation about a political comeback.
She said, “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.
“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.
“I stand by my friend. My friend is great. I told her I would campaign with her. I’m not denying her. I’m not running. I’m not going back to the villa. If you call me, I will not go.”
Patience Jonathan also acknowledged Tinubu’s daughter, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, for supporting women.
She added, “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.
“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 say it every day. Don’t you like how young I look? People say, ‘Mama, you are young, you are young!’ it is because I have rest of mind, yes. I don’t want to go there—let my friend be there. Let me also ‘wahala’ her the way she used to ‘wahala’ me when I was there! Let me also tease her. And until she comes out, she will be young. But for now, she won’t be young.”