Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has downplayed the prospects of a potential alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 presidential election.
According to Keyamo, such a coalition would lack the demographic strength to pose a serious challenge.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television, Keyamo argued that the key demographic groups that fuelled Obi’s momentum in the 2023 election would no longer be as influential, especially if Obi does not lead the ticket.
“They are going nowhere in terms of demography,” he said, referring to the opposition’s chances. “I actually like what they’re doing—it keeps us on our toes and makes us work harder. But the numbers just don’t add up for them.”
He criticized the opposition’s rumoured strategy of forming an alliance under the ADC to combine support bases and challenge the over eight million votes secured by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
“This idea of bringing Atiku and Peter Obi together under the ADC is flawed. If Obi becomes Atiku’s running mate, the three demographic groups that supported him in 2023 would fall apart,” Keyamo claimed.
He elaborated by pointing out that Obi benefited in 2023 from a unique alignment of three demographic factors: his appeal as the sole prominent Christian candidate, overwhelming support from the South-East region, and strong backing from younger Nigerians—known as the “Obidients”—who were eager for a younger, more relatable leader.
“These were the factors that pushed Obi forward last time. But in a different configuration, especially one where he’s not the leading candidate, those advantages disappear,” he added.
Keyamo also emphasized the APC’s continued political dominance in northern Nigeria, asserting that President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party have maintained strong grassroots structures and support in the region.
“If Obi runs again, even as a presidential candidate, he won’t break into the North. The APC is firmly rooted there with governors and strong political structures,” he concluded.
