YENEGUA: The build-up to the 2027 presidential race has intensified, with former President Goodluck Jonathan cautioning Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and Professor Chidi Odinkalu against interfering in his political future.
Keyamo and Odinkalu had earlier warned the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) not to consider Jonathan for its 2027 presidential ticket, arguing that having been sworn in twice, his return would face legal hurdles.
But Jonathan, through his brother, Robert Azibaola, dismissed their stance, insisting thatthe former president is constitutionally qualified to contest if he chooses. Jonathan does not need unsolicited legal advice.
He has access to seasoned SANs who guide him professionally. His eligibility is not in doubt, Azibaola stated on Facebook.
Meanwhile, political heavyweights have waded into the debate. FCT Minister Nyesom Wike claimed Jonathan was being misled into running and cautioned PDP against fielding former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, warning it would spell disaster for the party.
Wike also boasted that President Bola Tinubu would secure a second term, dismissing former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s prediction that Tinubu would place third as “mathematically flawed.
On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said Nigerians, not the ruling APC or opposition PDP, would ultimately decide the 2027 outcome. His media aide, Paul Ibe, revealed that the coalition being built around the African Democratic Congress (ADC) had begun attracting defections and civil society backing, signaling a shifting political landscape.
Although Jonathan has yet to officially declare his intention, his name continues to dominate early 2027 permutations, with critics insisting that his return would complicate the South’s chances of retaining the presidency.
