Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised reports suggesting that former President Goodluck Jonathan is being positioned for a presidential ticket under a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the development as “bizarre comedy taken too far.”
In a post on his official X handle on Sunday, Keyamo faulted attempts to associate the former president with what he described as an unrecognised political faction allegedly led by Tanimu Turaki.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said it was inappropriate to link Jonathan with a group he claimed is not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“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,” Keyamo wrote.
He also questioned the legitimacy of offering “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.”
According to him, the individuals involved were dragging the former president into what he described as “a journey to nowhere.”
“And they don’t give a hoot dragging such a revered figure into their charade that is certainly a journey to nowhere. Quite sad,” he added.
Keyamo urged Jonathan to publicly distance himself from the development, saying a firm denial was necessary to protect his international reputation.
“For the sake of his global image, President Goodluck Jonathan must IMMEDIATELY issue a strong ‘no, thank you’ statement,” he said.
The minister warned that failure to reject the alleged arrangement could revive old political narratives against the former president.
He noted that Jonathan remained the first sitting Nigerian president to lose a re-election bid.
Keyamo’s remarks followed claims by a PDP faction led by Tanimu Turaki that Jonathan had emerged as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The faction also alleged interference by the Federal Capital Territory Administration and security agencies in its convention activities.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is said to recognise a different PDP leadership structure amid the ongoing internal crisis within the party.
The opposition party remains divided between rival factions led by Bala Mohammed and Nyesom Wike.
