By Lateef Ibrahim
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly reject 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 group responsible for announcing Jonathan as its presidential candidate lacks official recognition and should not be taken seriously.
His reaction followed the announcement by the faction led by Tanimu Turaki, which reportedly named Jonathan as its presidential flagbearer for the 2027 election.
In a post on X, the minister described the development as an embarrassing political spectacle, questioning the legitimacy of those behind the nomination.
According to him, the faction is not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, making its actions politically inconsequential.
Keyamo said it was unfortunate that a former president and elder statesman was being drawn into what he termed a political charade by individuals who have no legal standing within the electoral system.
“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,” he wrote.
The minister also criticised the manner in which Jonathan was presented as a candidate, saying a presidential ticket could not be legitimately conferred by individuals or groups not recognised by the electoral commission.
“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,” he stated.
Keyamo maintained that Jonathan should distance himself from the development in order to protect his reputation both within and outside Nigeria.
He warned that failing to reject the nomination could revive political criticisms associated with Jonathan’s administration and his defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
“For the sake of his global image, President Goodluck Jonathan must immediately issue a strong ‘no, thank you’ statement,” Keyamo said.
He added that Nigerians might begin to revisit the “clueless” narrative that was widely used by Jonathan’s opponents during the campaign that led to his electoral defeat.
The former president has yet to publicly respond to the nomination by the Turaki-led PDP faction or to Keyamo’s call for him to reject the offer.
