The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has advised former President Goodluck Jonathan to decline the presidential ticket reportedly offered to him by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general election. Keyamo argued that the PDP faction responsible for announcing Jonathan as its presidential candidate lacks official recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), raising questions about the legitimacy of the endorsement.
His remarks followed the announcement by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP, which named Jonathan as its flagbearer for the next presidential election.
Reacting to the development, Keyamo urged the former president to distance himself from the offer, stressing that accepting or entertaining the nomination could undermine his reputation and standing on the international stage.
According to the minister, Jonathan should politely reject the gesture in order to preserve the goodwill and respect he has earned both within Nigeria and globally since leaving office.
Keyamo wrote on his X page, “This is some kind of bizarre comedy taken too far by supposedly grown adults and some names that were actually in the corridors of power at some point in this country.
“Giving a whole presidential ticket to an ex-president and statesman by proxy and by a bunch of people not even registered on INEC’s website.
“And they don’t give a hoot, dragging such a revered figure into their charade that is certainly a journey to nowhere. Quite sad.
“For the sake of his global image, President Goodluck Jonathan must immediately issue a strong ‘no, thank you’ statement, lest Nigerians begin to recall the ‘clueless’ campaign that got him out of power – the first sitting President to be so ousted.”
