Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against fielding former President Goodluck Jonathan or Peter Obi as its presidential candidate in the 2027 elections.

According to Keyamo, the PDP committed an error in 2023 when it failed to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the south and now wants to correct the mistake by picking a candidate from the south in 2027.

The Minister stated that the PDP deliberately zoned its 2027 ticket to the south in order to win back the region.

He, however, cautioned that the party may end up without a presidential candidate if it decides to pick Jonathan, as the Supreme Court may rule him ineligible, and the apex court’s decision may come at a time when the PDP may not be able to pick another candidate for the election.

Similarly, Keyamo submitted that if the PDP gives its 2027 ticket to Peter Obi, Nigerians may not want to vote for a candidate from the south who is likely to be interested in a second term and thereby disrupt the zoning arrangement in the country.

Furthermore, the Aviation Minister said any PDP candidate from the Southwest must be ready to face the existing structures of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the region.

He wrote, “Let me poke my nose a bit today: the position of PDP is not an enviable one at all.

“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 RISK 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.

“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.”

Keyamo added that, except something extraordinary happens, the PDP does not have a chance at the presidency in the 2027 elections.

“EXCEPT something EXTRAORDINARY happens, the Party may have to wait till 2031.

“But let me face my work for now. I work during the week, and I poke my nose at weekends 😁. Next time, I will poke my nose into the dilemma of another party 😀,” he concluded.