‘Clueless APC-led FG’ Jittery Over Jonathan’s Planned Return To Aso Rock, PDP Replies Keyamo

By Olumuyiwa  Olumuyiwa

The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, for meddling in its affairs by asking former president Goodluck Jonathan to turn down the offer to be the presidential candidate of the former ruling party in the 2027 general elections.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, has criticised Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation, over his comments on the party’s affirmation of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

The party noted that Keyamo lacks the moral authority to advise Jonathan on his political decision

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki faction,  stated that Keyamo and his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are afraid that Jonathan’s candidacy will stand in the way of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Ememobong added that Keyamo’s position was informed by his political interest and not genuine concern for Jonathan’s reputation.

“The desperation and anxiety that have increasingly characterised reactions from the ruling APC to the growing national clamour for President Jonathan’s return to leadership make it necessary to set the record straight,” the statement reads.

Ememobong said Keyamo, who was known for challenging governments and defending democratic principles, now appeared comfortable with the “shrinking of political space for the opposition”.

He asked the minister to focus on the challenges in the aviation sector and the broader administration rather than commenting on the PDP’s internal affairs.

Accord to him, Nigerians are more concerned about economic hardship, insecurity, rising unemployment and declining purchasing power than political remarks directed at Jonathan.

He said no “intimidation, blackmail, or scaremongering can prevent Nigerians from freely expressing their political preferences or supporting leaders they believe can help reposition the country”.

“If Festus Keyamo truly wishes to offer advice, he should begin by advising the APC-led administration to address the challenges confronting ordinary Nigerians. Until then, his attempts to lecture others on governance and political judgment will continue to ring hollow,” he said.

“Finally, if any political party has exemplified cluelessness in public administration, it has been the APC-led federal government since 2015. So if Keyamo is attempting to point a finger of cluelessness, he should look at the four pointing back at him.”

Recall that on Sunday, Keyamo asked Jonathan to reject the presidential ticket, describing the Turaki-led PDP’s action as a “bizarre comedy”.

The minister’s remarks came on the heels of Jonathan’s candidacy ratification on Saturday at a special national convention in Abuja.

Although Jonathan was not present at the event, his certificate of return was received on his behalf by Fred Agbedi, a member of the house of representatives from Bayelsa state.

The sudden return of Jonathan to the Nigeria’s political space has significantly altered the political permutations for the 2027 elections and the likely winner of the quadrennial exercise.

The former president has yet to state his intention to run for office publicly, though.