The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against presenting either former President Goodluck Jonathan or former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as its presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
Writing on his X handle on Sunday, Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), argued that nominating Jonathan posed constitutional risks under Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which bars anyone sworn in twice as president from contesting again. He warned that if Jonathan was disqualified after nominations had closed, the PDP could be left without a candidate.
He further contended that fielding a South-West candidate would face resistance from other regions unwilling to support another Yoruba president, while Obi’s return to the PDP would spark credibility issues among his supporters. According to him, the party was in a dilemma because it failed to zone its 2023 ticket to the South.
“The reality of our politics is that zoning sentiments cannot be ignored. Except something extraordinary happens, the PDP may have to wait until 2031,” Keyamo wrote.
But the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) criticised Keyamo’s intervention, describing his remarks as “insensitive and diversionary.”
In a statement on Sunday, HURIWA said it was troubling that a sitting minister, tasked with developing Nigeria’s aviation and aerospace sector, devoted his time to speculative political analysis while Nigerians grappled with economic hardship and collapsing infrastructure.
The group urged President Bola Tinubu to call his cabinet members to order, insisting that ministers were appointed to fix the economy, not to act as political commentators for the ruling party. It accused Keyamo and other officials of neglecting their duties while citizens suffered under “toxic taxation policies” and poor governance.
