Patience: I underwent 13 surgeries… I was pronounced dead but God brought me back

Patience Jonathan, wife of the president, says she has undergone 13 surgeries as a result of “health challenges” and was once pronounced dead.

Speaking on Sunday at the farewell service organised by the Aso Rock Villa Chapel, she said she “disappeared” sometime in January during the presidential campaign in order to undergo yet another surgery.

The first lady said she had a sharp pain on her side and upon examination by doctors, she was told she needed surgery.

But it was kept from the public during the campaign as she underwent the “major” operation in Germany.

On her return to the country, she immediately joined the husband’s campaign, which ended in defeat on March 28.

Starting with the song, ‘I will give God my whole life’, she said: “‎I really thank God for keeping me alive. He is a miraculous God. God is so wonderful in my life because people professed that one of us will not go back. But God has made it possible: two of us are going healthy.”

This was an allusion to previous occurrences in which either the Nigerian president or his wife died in office.

Sani Abacha, military head of state, died in 1998, while Stella, wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, died in 2005.

Former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died in 2010, and text messages were being circulated years ago suggesting that it was “logically” the turn of Jonathan’s wife to die.

She continued: “I thank God for keeping me alive today. God is so wonderful. Just two years ago, I went through operations upon operations. Within months, I passed through 12 operations. It is wonderful. To some people they said she is dead but God resurrected me. God told me my daughter go back I will give you a second chance, go and finish your work. And today even if my husband lost this election I believe God has made me finish the work.

“At the same time this year, while my husband was campaigning, that period was a trying time for me. Satan came in again and those that know the former president and his wife, her corpse was carried out of this place. We thank God that I and my husband are going alive. Thank God today we are [departing the villa] with life and not with death. Our doors are open.

“This campaign period, the devil struck and came in again. In pains I was rushed to the hospital in January and the doctors told me, Mama you have to go for major operation now now. What again? I asked. The campaign was still going on and I wondered how we were going to explain to Nigerians. You know even when you go for check-up, they will be writing in the papers saying all sorts of things.

“I said my husband will continue with his campaign until the last day. That was how I went in for the first major operation in January ending. And by God’s grace I went for the operation and came out and it was from that operation that I went to the campaign ground. And they told me Mama, there is another bigger operation that you have to go in for. This one would not be in this hospital. It is too small for this type of operation. You have to go to a bigger hospital and I said, Haha. I will go, I have faith in God. And that my God will see me through. He has brought me out for a purpose. I called my pastor, my praying partner to continue praying for me. They want me to be a sacrifice, but I will never be.

“Then, do you know I went to the bigger hospital. I booked for the operation and I was asked to go for the campaign. They gave me a new date. I had paid for everything, remaining just to enter the theatre and the thing occurred to the hospital, Let’s check her again. By then, my husband had lost the election. I have packed out of Villa, we are about going. Behold! I went to four hospitals again in Germany and the thing vanished. My doctors were surprised they didn’t think that could happen.”

She did not reveal the nature of the ailment.