Tompolo meets Jonathan, urges support for Tinubu

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is facing growing pressure from prominent Niger Delta figures to abandon any plans of contesting the 2027 presidential election and instead back President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Findings indicate that ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, recently led a delegation to Jonathan’s hometown in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, to persuade him to step aside from the race.

The visit, which took place on October 16, included key associates such as Tantita Security Services Managing Director Kestin Pondi and APC chieftain Joshua Maciver. Sources confirmed that the meeting — Tompolo’s first major public engagement in nearly a decade — lasted several hours and was politically focused, despite earlier reports linking it to peace talks.

According to insiders, Tompolo urged Jonathan to support Tinubu, citing the President’s projects in the region such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the approval of a new university in Ogoni land.

One close ally of the former President said Jonathan had been “considering” a comeback but was advised that the mood in the Niger Delta was not in favour of such a move.

Tompolo, who enjoys a renewed pipeline surveillance contract under Tinubu’s administration, is also leading a grassroots platform — the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement — mobilising support for the President’s second term bid.