Festus Keyamo cautions PDP against fielding Goodluck Jonathan or Peter Obi in 2027, warning of legal hurdles, zoning issues, and political setbacks.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has issued a strong warning to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its choice of a presidential flagbearer ahead of the 2027 general election.
He cautioned that fielding either former President Goodluck Jonathan or former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, could plunge the party into fresh crises and significantly reduce its chances of victory.
In a detailed commentary released through his official X handle, the minister offered what he described as a candid political assessment of the PDP’s dwindling prospects.
According to him, the opposition party has yet to overcome the political miscalculation of 2022, when it failed to zone its presidential ticket to the South.
That decision, he argued, alienated many supporters in the South-East and South-South—two zones that had historically served as the backbone of the PDP’s electoral strength.
One of the strongest warnings Keyamo issued concerned the possible candidacy of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He drew attention to Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which disqualifies anyone who has previously taken the oath of office of President on two occasions from contesting again.
Jonathan, who completed the tenure of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010 and won a full term in 2011, would fall under this clause.
Though a Supreme Court ruling had cleared him to contest in 2015—prior to the amendment—Keyamo stressed that the new constitutional provision now casts a fresh shadow over his eligibility.
“The constitutional amendment was made after the 2015 judgment, so the situation has changed. If Jonathan is fielded, the PDP runs the grave risk of not having a candidate at all,” he cautioned.
He added that the issue would only be conclusively settled by the Supreme Court and not through debates on social media.
The minister warned that if the party went ahead to nominate Jonathan and the courts later disqualified him after the closure of nominations, the PDP would automatically be left without a candidate, thereby handing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) a walkover.
“No one should blame the judiciary in such a situation, because the danger is already visible, and the PDP would have chosen to ignore it,” he said.
Keyamo also dismissed the chances of a viable PDP candidate emerging from the South-West.
According to him, Nigeria’s voting dynamics make it highly unlikely that the electorate would support another Yoruba candidate who would be constitutionally entitled to a fresh two terms in office, especially while the APC—led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—already dominates the region with formidable political structures.
“To win the presidency, you need majority support in at least three to four regions. A South-West PDP candidate cannot achieve that in the current political climate,” he asserted.
The minister further addressed speculations about Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, possibly returning to the PDP as its standard-bearer.
He argued that Obi’s re-entry into the PDP fold would not necessarily resolve the opposition’s internal problems.
Keyamo questioned Obi’s credibility, pointing out that his past public pledge to serve only one term could weaken his appeal.
He suggested that many of Obi’s core supporters, popularly known as the “Obidients,” would see such a move as a betrayal of principle.
“The principled ones among his followers will see him as going back to his vomit and may not be as vociferous in their support as before,” he observed.
In rounding up his assessment, Keyamo described the PDP’s refusal to zone its 2023 ticket to the South as the “original sin” that continues to haunt the party.
He noted that while younger social media activists may ridicule zoning as outdated, the reality of Nigeria’s diverse political landscape is that power rotation remains a key factor in national elections.
“The young social media warriors may lampoon anyone talking about zoning, but that is the reality of our politics.
“Unless something extraordinary happens, the PDP may have to wait until 2031 before having a realistic chance of reclaiming power,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the PDP has swiftly dismissed Keyamo’s remarks, describing them as unsolicited advice.
Party officials maintained that the minister has no authority to dictate how the PDP selects its presidential candidate.
According to the opposition party, the decision on who emerges as its flagbearer remains an internal matter and will be determined by its members in line with its constitution.
Despite the rebuttal, Keyamo’s statement has triggered fresh conversations within political circles about the PDP’s readiness for 2027, the constitutional constraints surrounding Jonathan’s potential candidacy, and the broader implications of zoning in Nigeria’s evolving democratic process.
