Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Kabiru Turaki has criticised the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, over his comments on the party’s endorsement of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Gatekeepers News reports that Jonathan’s candidacy was ratified during a special national convention held in Abuja on Saturday. Although the former president was absent from the event, his certificate of return was received on his behalf by Fred Agbedi, a member of the House of Representatives representing Bayelsa State.
Jonathan has yet to publicly declare his intention to contest the presidency.
Reacting to the development on Sunday, Keyamo urged Jonathan to reject the nomination, describing the Turaki-led PDP’s action as a “bizarre comedy.”
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, dismissed Keyamo’s remarks, saying the minister lacked the moral authority to advise the former president.
According to Ememobong, recent reactions from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) suggest growing concern over increasing calls for Jonathan’s return to power.
“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,” he said.
Ememobong accused Keyamo, once known for defending democratic values and challenging governments, of becoming comfortable with what he described as the shrinking political space available to opposition parties.
He urged the minister to focus on challenges within the aviation sector and the broader administration rather than commenting on the PDP’s internal affairs.
The PDP spokesman argued that Nigerians are more concerned about economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and declining purchasing power than political criticisms directed at Jonathan.
He maintained that citizens have the constitutional right to support leaders of their choice without intimidation.
“No intimidation, blackmail, or scaremongering can prevent Nigerians from freely expressing their political preferences or supporting leaders they believe can help reposition the country,” Ememobong said.
He further challenged Keyamo to direct his attention to the performance of the APC-led government.
“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.”
Ememobong added that democracy guarantees the right of citizens to make political choices freely and without interference from those currently occupying public office.
