Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly distance himself from reports linking him to a presidential ticket being promoted by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the development as a “bizarre comedy taken too far”. In a strongly worded statement on his official X handle on Sunday, May 31, 2026, Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, faulted attempts to associate the former president and statesman with what he called “a charade” orchestrated by a group not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The minister urged Jonathan to immediately issue a public rejection of the ticket in order to preserve his international image and prevent Nigerians from reviving the “clueless” narrative that trailed his administration and contributed to his defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
Keyamo’s intervention followed a special national convention organised by the Turaki-led PDP faction on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at which Jonathan was ratified as the faction’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election in absentia. The convention was forced to change venue after police operatives sealed off the A‑Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja, where the event was initially scheduled to hold. The ratification, which lasted barely 20 minutes, took place instead at the faction’s national secretariat in the Garki Area 10 district of Abuja. Jonathan’s certificate of return was received on his behalf by a member of the House of Representatives from Bayelsa State, Fred Agbedi, as the former president was conspicuously absent from the ceremony. Other party stalwarts present included former Minister of Information Professor Jerry Gana, former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, and a former Minister of Aviation, Mohammed Sanusi Dagash.
Reacting to the development, Keyamo wrote on X: “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.” He expressed sadness that the individuals behind the move appeared unconcerned about dragging a revered figure “into their charade that is certainly a journey to nowhere”. The minister warned that failure to reject the alleged arrangement could revive damaging public memories. “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 – first sitting President to be so ousted,” he added.
The Turaki-led group, which is not recognised by INEC, had previously declared on May 19 that Jonathan would be its sole presidential candidate. The ratification convention was held amid ongoing internal crises within the PDP that have split the party into two warring factions. The rival faction, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is recognised by INEC and had earlier in the week affirmed former Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 election. The Wike-backed faction has also distanced itself from the Turaki group’s activities, dismissing the Jonathan ratification as false, misleading, and unauthorised. The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, called on Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from the Turaki camp to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
In a further show of defiance, the Turaki-led faction had, on the eve of the convention, resisted attempts by the FCT Administration to stop the event. The FCTA had warned event centre owners against hosting gatherings by political groups not recognised by INEC, threatening to revoke the certificates of occupancy of any facility that violated the directive. Despite the police barricade at the original venue, Turaki insisted that the group’s actions were backed by court judgments and the PDP constitution. “What we are doing today is in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court, which affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal Abuja Division,” he told supporters outside the sealed Wuse 2 venue. “No matter how highly opinionated they may be about themselves, or no matter how they think that they can use their positions to thwart democracy, we want to tell them that Nigeria is bigger than anybody and any group of persons.”
As of Sunday afternoon, Jonathan had not publicly commented on his ratification by the Turaki-led faction. The former president’s silence has continued to fuel speculation about his political intentions, even as his associates have insisted that his name is being used without his authorisation. Meanwhile, Keyamo’s blunt remarks have added to the growing chorus of voices, including from within the Jonathan camp, urging the former president to definitively end the speculations surrounding his political future.
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