The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to Kabiru Turaki has criticised Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo over his comments on the party’s endorsement of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The reaction follows Keyamo’s call on Jonathan to reject the presidential ticket ratified by the Turaki-led PDP at a special convention held in Abuja on Saturday. The minister had described the exercise as a “bizarre comedy” and urged the former president not to associate himself with it.
Responding in a statement on Tuesday, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said Keyamo was not in a position to offer political advice to Jonathan, accusing him of ignoring pressing national issues.
Ememobong argued that the strong reactions coming from members of the ruling All Progressives Congress suggested growing concern over the possibility of Jonathan returning to active politics.
“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.
The PDP chieftain also accused Keyamo of abandoning the democratic ideals he once championed as a public interest lawyer, claiming that he now appears comfortable with what he described as a shrinking political space for opposition voices.
He urged the minister to focus on challenges facing the aviation sector and the broader administration rather than commenting on the internal affairs of the PDP.
According to Ememobong, Nigerians are more concerned about issues such as insecurity, unemployment, economic hardship and declining purchasing power than political attacks directed at Jonathan.
He maintained that citizens have a constitutional right to support leaders of their choice and warned that intimidation or political pressure would not prevent people from expressing their preferences ahead of future elections.
“If Festus Keyamo truly wishes to offer advice, he should begin by advising the APC-led administration to address the challenges confronting ordinary Nigerians,” he said.
The statement further criticised the APC’s record in government since 2015, arguing that the ruling party should focus on governance rather than questioning the PDP’s political decisions.
Jonathan’s candidacy was ratified at the convention despite his absence. His certificate of return was received on his behalf by Fred Agbedi. The former president has yet to publicly declare whether he intends to contest the 2027 presidential election.