THE Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Sunday advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against fielding former President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate in 2027.
Keyamo stated on Sunday that the opposition risks serious consequences in the upcoming election if it relies on former Anambra governor Peter Obi as its candidate.
He said the PDP remains in a “non-enviable position” after failing to zone its 2023 ticket to the South, a decision he said cost the PDP support in its traditional strongholds in the South-South and South-East.
The minister stated that nominating Jonathan carries a constitutional danger tied to section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which he suggested could bar anyone sworn in twice as president from contesting again.
“If he is fielded, the Party runs the RISK of NOT HAVING A CANDIDATE AT ALL,” Keyamo said.
He cautioned that such a legal challenge would ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court.
“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.”
He added that the party would bear responsibility if it ignored the legal risk and lost its candidacy after nominations closed.
Let me poke my nose a bit today: the position of PDP is not an enviable one at all.
