Former Nigerian first lady Patience Jonathan has ruled out any possibility of returning to Aso Rock, declaring that she values her peace and has no intention of re-entering the pressures of public office.
A video of Mrs Jonathan making the remarks in May 2025 at an Abuja event resurfaced online over the weekend, stirring fresh debate amid ongoing speculation about her husband, former president Goodluck Jonathan, and the 2027 presidential race.
“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 said at the ceremony where she received the Women Icon Leader of the Year Award from Accolades Dynamics Limited.
Her comments came as political groups and northern interests have been linked to efforts to draft Goodluck Jonathan into the 2027 polls. In August, cleric Bomadi Serimoedumu also claimed the former president would return to Aso Rock.
In her original speech, Patience Jonathan threw her weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s administration and praised her cordial ties with First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
“I told her I would campaign with her. I’m not running. I’m not going back to the villa. If you call me, I will not go,” she said.
She further spoke on women’s representation in politics, backing the 35 per cent affirmative action policy but criticising the National Assembly for rejecting gender equality bills.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga had recently warned Goodluck Jonathan against yielding to pressures to contest, recalling his defeat in the 2015 elections.
Goodluck Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, has not spoken publicly on the 2027 speculations. While some of his associates urge him to stay away, groups such as the Nigeria Rescue Mission Organisation continue to call for his candidacy.
At the May ceremony, Patience Jonathan was honoured for her humanitarian work through NGOs focusing on women’s health, empowerment, and youth training.