Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo warns PDP of constitutional and political risks if Jonathan or Obi is fielded as its 2027 presidential candidate.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Sunday cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against considering former President Goodluck Jonathan or former Anambra governor Peter Obi as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
Keyamo said on his X page that the PDP’s decision not to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the South weakened its base in the South-South and South-East, leaving the party in what he described as a “non-enviable position.”
On Jonathan, the minister stressed that section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) could disqualify anyone sworn in twice as president from contesting again. He warned that fielding the former president may expose the PDP to the risk of being left without a candidate if the matter is decided against Jonathan at the Supreme Court.
“If he is fielded, the Party runs the RISK of NOT HAVING A CANDIDATE AT ALL,” Keyamo stated, adding that the constitutional amendment post-2015 has yet to be tested in court.
He also argued that relying on Peter Obi as a candidate could have serious political consequences for the PDP, as the party continues to struggle with internal cohesion and regional support.
Keyamo insisted that any legal setback would be the PDP’s own making, noting that “such a large party saw the judicial danger ahead and deliberately ignored it.”
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