Former President Goodluck Jonathan has chastised Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo (SAN) and legal scholar Prof. Chidi Odinkalu for rejecting his rumored 2027 presidential bid, urging them to avoid his political judgments.
Keyamo and Odinkalu had advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to give Jonathan its ticket, claiming that his return attempt would face legal challenges because he had previously been sworn in twice as president.
However, in a statement made on Monday by his brother, Azibaola Robert, Jonathan dismissed their worries, emphasizing that his eligibility was not in question and that he did not require unsolicited counsel.
Robert said on his verified Facebook page, “Dear Festus Keyamo (SAN), Chidi Odinkalu (Prof.), I greet both of you. For the record, three of us are lawyers. We were all pro-democracy activists in the 90s, and I was a better activist than both of you combined.
“Rule No. 1: Do not offer legal advice where none is solicited. GEJ (PDP) has numerous, more cerebral, more experienced SANs at his disposal who give him sound, unblemished professional legal advice.
“Please note: GEJ is 100% constitutionally and legally qualified to contest, if he chooses to. If he decides not to yield to the overwhelming calls to run, it will not be because he is unqualified.
“Your unsolicited legal view is not of any concern to him and will never be. Don’t waste your precious time dwelling on this.
“Or should I schedule a meeting so you can be properly educated on the subsisting court judgments on the matter—one of which your party, APC, was a party to?”
Robert added that “This is not a confirmation that GEJ is running, though.”
Although Jonathan has yet to make a public announcement about the 2027 election, his rumored ambition has already elicited reactions from political opponents, who claim that a return run would jeopardize the South’s chances of regaining the presidency.
For the time being, it is unclear whether the former president will run, but early debates suggest an escalating conflict over zoning, eligibility, and succession ahead of the 2027 elections.
