2027: Keyamo warns PDP against fielding Jonathan, Obi

•Party blasts Minister, says he can’t decide its candidate

By Luminous Jannamike

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has warned that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) risks serious setbacks in its 2027 presidential strategy if it opts for former President Goodluck Jonathan or ex-Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, as its standard-bearer.

But PDP in a swift reaction, rejected Keyamo’s advice, saying he (minister) could not decide its candidate.

However, in a long post on his X account yesterday, Keyamo said the opposition party remained in a “non-enviable position” after failing to zone its 2023 ticket to the South, a decision, he said, cost the PDP support in its traditional strongholds in the South-South and South-East.

Keyamo argued that nominating Jonathan carried a constitutional danger tied to section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which he suggested could bar anyone sworn in twice as president from contesting again.

“If he is fielded, the party runs the risk of not having a candidate at all,” Keyamo wrote, warning that the Supreme Court would ultimately decide such a legal challenge.

He stated further: “The constitutional amendment was made after the court judgment which cleared him (Jonathan) to run in 2015, so nothing is decided yet on that new amendment, hence I use the word ‘risk’ advisedly.

‘’All the arguments as to whether the section can be interpreted to affect him will not be decided on social media, but at the Supreme Court.

“If he is barred from running after nominations have closed and the PDP is declared as having no candidate, nobody should scream ‘judiciary is corrupt’ because such a large party saw the judicial danger ahead and deliberately ignored it.”

He added that the party would bear responsibility if it ignored the legal risk and lost its candidacy after nominations closed.

“All the arguments … will not be decided on social media, but at the Supreme Court,” he said.

He also dismissed the likelihood of a successful South-West flagbearer for the PDP, saying “if the PDP decides to field its most attractive S/West candidate, no other region of the country will vote for a fresh Yoruba candidate who would be eligible for a fresh two terms in office.

“That candidate will battle with the well-oiled APC structures in the S/West. You need a majority of at least three to four regions in Nigeria to win the Presidency.”

On Peter Obi, the minister said bringing the former Labour Party candidate into the PDP fold would not solve the party’s problems.

He suggested doubts about Obi’s credibility, adding that his past one-term pledge could dilute support among his core followers.

“The principled ones among the ‘obidients’ will see him as going back to his vomit … and may not be too vociferous in their support anymore,” Keyamo wrote.

Concluding his assessment, the minister blamed the PDP’s current predicament on what he called its “original sin” of not zoning the 2023 ticket to the South.

He added: “The young social media warriors may lampoon anyone talking about these zoning sentiments, but that is the reality of our politics.”

He said unless “something extraordinary’ happens, the party might have to wait till 2031.

PDP blasts Keyamo, says he can’t decide its candidate

Reacting, PDP said the minister was not in a position to decide its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Deputy National Youth Leader of the party, Timothy Osadolor, dismissed Keyamo’s comments as ‘self-serving’ and ‘unbecoming of a public servant.’

He said: “I don’t know who Keyamo thinks he is to be warning the PDP. Such a reckless statement is unbecoming of a minister who is supposed to serve the Nigerian people.”

Osadolor argued that Keyamo had no authority to interfere in the affairs of an opposition party, insisting that the PDP owed no loyalty to him or the ruling government.

“For him to imagine that he can dictate to Nigerians what they should or should not do in 2027 is self-serving and completely unnecessary. The PDP is a reputable institution; it owes no loyalty or obligation to Festus Keyamo,” he stated.

Osadolor said further that the 2027 election would be bigger than Keyamo and his allies in Aso Rock, framing it as a struggle between Nigerians and what he described as a ruling cabal.

“The 2027 election is far bigger than the thinking of Keyamo and those he works with. It will be a contest between the Nigerian people and the current cabal that has further eroded not only the economy and infrastructure, but also the very worth of Nigerian lives,” he said.

The PDP youth leader criticised the government’s performance, accusing it of failing to improve life expectancy, tackle insecurity or guarantee safety for ordinary Nigerians.

“If Keyamo and his paymasters believe they have performed well, let him attempt a simple road trip from Abuja to Kano or to Damaturu without police escorts, and see if he dares complete the journey,” Osadolor challenged.

He also questioned the allocation of almost ¦ 1 trillion for the rehabilitation of Lagos International Airport, arguing that such funds could have been used to build several new airports, if properly managed.

“That amount could build more than five brand-new airports in this country if due process and procurement systems were genuinely followed. Instead, what we see is budget padding and inflated contracts designed to corner resources and buy political influence ahead of 2027,” he alleged.

Osadolor, who insisted that Keyamo’s attacks on the PDP were motivated by personal benefit, said: “His beak is being wetted by the common patrimony of Nigerians, so he talks carelessly. But he cannot dictate to the PDP. He has no locus standi whatsoever on this matter.”

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