When Festus Keyamo declared that Jonathan or Obi will sink PDP in 2027, it sounded like another partisan jab. But read carefully, and you realize his warning is more than just noise, it’s a genuine political landmine the opposition party is sleepwalking into. The PDP, once Nigeria’s natural ruling party, now looks like a confused structure weighed down by its own history, its zoning blunders, and its desperate search for a “saviour candidate.”
Jonathan’s candidacy is a legal trap waiting to explode
Let’s start with Goodluck Jonathan. Keyamo may be in APC, but he raised a point that the PDP should take seriously: Section 137(3) of the Constitution. Jonathan has already been sworn in twice. Any fresh attempt to run would likely trigger a Supreme Court battle. And if that battle ends after nominations close, the PDP could find itself without a candidate at all.
Why Peter Obi doesn’t solve PDP’s problem either
Now, to the other name: Peter Obi. Many PDP members still fantasize about bringing him back into the fold. But Keyamo is right on this one too, Obi’s return would look less like a bold comeback and more like crawling back to a house he once abandoned. His followers, the so-called Obidients, won’t see that as strength. They will see betrayal.
Worse, Obi’s credibility is on shaky ground. He promised Nigerians a one-term presidency. If he now seeks another run, does that promise evaporate? Politics in Nigeria may be fluid, but credibility is currency, and Obi risks spending the last of his.
PDP’s original sin is haunting them
Keyamo calls it the “original sin” the refusal of the PDP to zone its 2023 ticket to the South. He is not wrong. That single miscalculation fractured the party. The South-South and South-East felt sidelined. Atiku’s candidacy looked like another cycle of recycling, not renewal. That choice weakened PDP where it once had its strongest base.
The irony is painful: the same zoning politics PDP thought it could outsmart is now the reason it may not recover until 2031.
APC is already three steps ahead
While PDP wastes energy debating between Jonathan and Obi, APC is not even blinking. With its structure entrenched in nearly every region, APC doesn’t need to play saviour politics. It simply needs to tighten its grip and remind voters that its opponents are confused. By the time PDP makes up its mind in 2027, APC may have already defined the narrative.
Jonathan or Obi will sink PDP in 2027 — and Keyamo knows it
The harsh truth is this: whether PDP fields Jonathan or Obi, the party loses. Jonathan risks disqualification; Obi risks credibility collapse. Both options fracture PDP further instead of uniting it. Keyamo may be saying it as a warning, but behind that warning is a grin: APC knows PDP has walked itself into a trap.
