Keyamo issues warning to PDP over zoning of 2027 presidential ticket to South
Festus Keyamo
Abdullateef Fowewe
Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has delivered a candid critique of the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Writing on X, Keyamo outlined four potential scenarios that illustrate the precarious position the PDP finds itself in, attributing the party’s current dilemma to its failure to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the South.
Keyamo began by stating, “The position of PDP is not an enviable one at all.”
He explained the background, “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.”
He then listed the possible outcomes for the PD—Scenario One: The zoning was meant to regain the South, but this move comes with complications.
Scenario Two: The party’s potential choice of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan as a candidate poses a “RISK” due to constitutional challenges under section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
Keyamo cautioned, “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: Should the PDP back a fresh Southwestern candidate, the minister warned, “No other region of the country will vote for a fresh Yoruba candidate who would be eligible for fresh two terms in office,” highlighting the electoral difficulty given the strength of the APC in the Southwest.
Scenario Four: If the party attempts to woo Peter Obi, Keyamo observed this would not alleviate the problem; his supporters might see him as abandoning his past stance on systemic issues, thereby reducing enthusiasm.
Summarizing the situation, Keyamo remarked, “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.”
He acknowledged the criticism from younger party supporters but insisted, “that is the REALITY of our politics and it is not about to end.”
Concluding on a reflective note, Keyamo said, “EXCEPT something EXTRAORDINARY happens, the Party may have to wait till 2031,” before turning his attention back to his official duties with a dose of humor: “I work during the week, and I poke my nose at weekends 😁.”
