Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has commented on the strategic difficulties facing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as it prepares for the 2027 presidential election, highlighting issues related to zoning, candidate selection, and constitutional interpretations. In a post on X, Keyamo described the PDP’s position as “not an enviable one at all” and detailed several scenarios that could impact the party’s prospects.
Keyamo noted that in 2023, the PDP “lacked the balls to deliberately zone its Presidential ticket to the South,” resulting in the loss of its long-held support in the South-South and South-East regions, which had been loyal since 1999. To address this, he stated, the party has now zoned its 2027 ticket to the South in an effort to regain those areas.
He discussed the potential candidacy of former President Goodluck Jonathan, describing him as “one of its attractive targets” due to his eligibility for only one term. However, Keyamo warned that fielding Jonathan carries the “RISK of NOT HAVING A CANDIDATE AT ALL” under section 137 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (Fourth Amendment), which was enacted after a 2015 court judgment that had previously cleared Jonathan to run. Keyamo emphasized that “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,” and that any disputes would be resolved by the Supreme Court, not on social media. He added that if Jonathan is barred after nominations close, leading to the PDP having no candidate, “nobody should scream ‘judiciary is corrupt’ because such a large party saw the judicial danger ahead and deliberately ignored it.”
Keyamo also addressed the possibility of selecting a candidate from the South-West, stating that “no other region of the country will vote for a fresh Yoruba candidate who would be eligible for fresh two terms in office.” He noted that such a candidate would face competition from “the well-oiled APC structures in the S/West,” and that winning the presidency requires a majority in “at least 3 to 4 regions in Nigeria.”
Regarding a potential return of Peter Obi, Keyamo said the same regional challenges would apply, and that Obi’s recent statements about serving one term reflect this. Additionally, “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 attributed these issues to the PDP’s “original sin in 2023 by lacking the balls to zone its Presidential ticket to the South.” He observed that while “young social media warriors may lampoon anyone talking about these zoning sentiments,” such considerations represent “the REALITY of our politics and it is not about to end.” He concluded that “EXCEPT something EXTRAORDINARY happens, the Party may have to wait till 2031.”
