*Says she never ‘whispered’ to Jonathan to remain in power
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has said she would decline if asked to return to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, stressing that she never told her husband to remain in office after he lost the 2015 presidential poll.
The former first lady spoke at a colloquium organised to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Abuja.
Mrs. Jonathan, who delivered a speech on ‘Public Relations, Value Reorientation, and Economic Transformation’, said: “The stress of Nigeria is too much,” adding that she looks younger than she was while her husband was president.
“If you call me now for the villa, I won’t go there. I won’t. Don’t you see how young I am? The stress is so much,” she said.
“The stress of Nigeria is so much. If God manages to bring you out of it, you should glorify God and thank him. It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes.
“He has taken you there once; why do you want to go there again? Me, I won’t go,” she added.
In 2015, Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Commenting on the aftermath of the election, Patience said she did not urge her husband to stay in office after he lost the poll.
She said Jonathan “willingly relinquished without a fight,” adding that the former president has become a model of democracy due to his actions.
“When we failed the election, I was with him (Jonathan). We were in the room when we were told ‘you had lost’. I did not whisper to him that he must stay because we would shed blood. Innocent people will die.
“And who will be the person? We don’t know. It might be you; it might be me. It might be my brother or sister.
“We don’t need anybody to die. We’re brothers and sisters. We are one country,” the former First Lady added.
Before the last general election, a coalition of northern groups procured the presidential form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Jonathan.
The forms were purchased days after he had asked his supporters to “watch out” when he was asked if he would contest the 2023 poll.
Jonathan later said he did not give his consent for the purchase of the forms.
Human rights advocate, Femi Falana (SAN), had argued that Section 137(3) of the constitution disqualified Jonathan from contesting.
But a constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) had countered Falana, saying Jonathan was “constitutionally” qualified to contest.
A Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, eventually ruled that the former president was eligible to participate in the election.
Despite the ruling and attendant speculations, Jonathan declined to participate in the election.
