Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has offered to campaign alongside the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for the President’s second term.
Mrs. Jonathan announced this while acknowledging the President’s daughter and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, after receiving the Women Icon Leader of the Year award from Accolade Dynamics Limited on Saturday night in Abuja.
The ex-First Lady, who said she endorsed the principle of rotational presidency, ruled out a return to Aso Rock Villa in 2027.
She 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.
“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.”
Mrs. Jonathan recalled her longstanding relationship with Senator Remi Tinubu – from the time former President Goodluck Jonathan was deputy governor of Bayelsa State, then as governor of the state.
The former First Lady also recalled how Mrs. Tinubu and her husband supported her and her husband when they contested for the presidency in 2011.
She insisted that rather than return to Aso Rock, she would support Senator Tinubu and her husband.
Mrs. Jonathan said: “I didn’t just know her (Mrs. 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.
“Because, you see, this is turn by turn. Today, it is my turn — I will go. Tomorrow, it will be another person’s turn — then we go. And when we go, will we still meet? Where will we meet? I don’t know.
“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…”
“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.”
Jocularly, she added: “Let me also ‘wahala’ (trouble) 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.”
Mrs. Jonathan promised to mobilise women for the passage of the Gender Equality Bills by the National Assembly.
