Jonathan or Obi candidacy in 2027 could spell disaster, Keyamo warns PDP

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against presenting either former President Goodluck Jonathan or ex-Anambra State governor Peter Obi as its presidential candidate in 2027, saying the move could leave the party in jeopardy.

In a lengthy post on X on Sunday, Keyamo said the PDP had yet to recover from what he described as a “non-enviable position” caused by its failure to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the South — a decision he claimed weakened the party’s hold on its traditional bases in the South-South and South-East.

Keyamo argued that fielding Jonathan poses a constitutional challenge under section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which, he noted, may disqualify anyone who has been sworn in twice as president from running again.

“If he is fielded, the Party runs the RISK of NOT HAVING A CANDIDATE AT ALL,” he wrote, stressing that only the Supreme Court can settle the matter.“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.”

Keyamo insisted that the PDP would have itself to blame if it pressed ahead and later lost its ticket on legal grounds.

The minister also dismissed the chances of the PDP making electoral headway with a Yoruba presidential hopeful, saying such a candidate would face resistance from other regions and battle “well-oiled APC structures in the South-West.”

“You need a majority of at least 3 to 4 regions in Nigeria to win the Presidency,” he said.

Turning to Obi, Keyamo suggested that the former Labour Party flagbearer’s credibility issues and past pledge to serve a single term could alienate his staunch supporters.“The principled ones amongst the ‘obidients’ will see him as going back to his vomit … and may not be too vociferous in their support anymore,” he wrote.

Keyamo blamed the PDP’s current troubles on what he called its “original sin” of refusing to zone the 2023 ticket to the South.“The young social media warriors may lampoon anyone talking about these zoning sentiments, but that is the REALITY of our politics,” he said, adding that unless “something EXTRAORDINARY happens, the Party may have to wait till 2031.”

The PDP has yet to issue a response to his remarks.