Minster of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has advised the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reconsider fielding former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
The Minister also said that the odds and political permutation does not favour Peter Obi despite his promise to spend only one term of four years in office.
Taking to his X handle on Sunday, Keyamo created four scenario which according to him may lead the party to a “journey to nowhere” if Jonathan flies the party’s flag in the next general election.
According to him: “Scenario One: In 2023, PDP lacked the balls to deliberately zone its Presidential ticket to the South, so it woefully lost its decades-long stranglehold on the S/South and S/East, the two of its most loyal regions since 1999. To correct that, it has now deliberately zoned its 2027 Presidential ticket to the South to win back the southern regions into the Party.
“Scenario Two: One of its attractive targets as a Presidential candidate is ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, because of his purported eligibility to run for only one term. But, if he is fielded, the Party runs the risks of not having a candidate at all by virtue of section 137 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (Fourth Amendment).
“The constitutional amendment was made after the court judgment which cleared him 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.
“Scenario Three: 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 fresh two terms in office. And that candidate will battle with the well-oiled APC structures in the S/West. You need a majority of at least 3 to 4 regions in Nigeria to win the Presidency.
“Scenario Four: If the PDP woos back Peter Obi, scenario three above will still apply to him, hence all his shout of serving one-term of recent. In addition, the principled ones amongst the ‘obidients’ will see him as going back to his vomit of ‘structure of criminality’ and may not be too vociferous in their support anymore”.
Keyamo stressed that zoning has become and entrenched part of the political process in the country and going against it as PDP did, has very dare consequences.
“This is happening to PDP because it committed an original sin in 2023 by lacking the balls to zone its Presidential 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 and it is not about to end.
“Except something Extraordinary happens, the Party may have to wait till 2031”.
But reacting to the advise of Keyamo, the Ogun state governorship aspirant of PDP in 2023, Otumba Segun Showunmi said that Keyamo’s advise is premature as the party has not conducted it’s primary election and no candidate has emerged.
He said that every party shops for a candidate that can win election adding that the PDP has the capacity to conquer all encumbrances surrounding its candidates.
