Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed the chances of a potential Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi alliance under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying such a ticket would collapse demographically.
Speaking on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television's Sunday Politics, Keyamo argued that the demographic forces that helped Obi gain momentum in the 2023 elections no longer exist, particularly if he contests under an alliance where he is not the main candidate.
"They are going nowhere in terms of demography," Keyamo said of the opposition movement. "I like what is happening; they are putting us on our toes; it is going to make us work harder, but the numbers are not looking good for them."
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He specifically targeted the opposition's strategy, saying: "This so-called ADC, in 2027, what they are working on is to bring Peter Obi and Atiku (Abubakar) together to join those numbers and beat our over eight million votes. Let me tell you why it is wrong. If you make Peter Obi the deputy to Atiku, three demographic factors delivered Peter Obi in 2023, but the three will collapse."
Explaining further, the minister said: "The other candidates were Muslims, and so there was only one Christian candidate, and the Christians went to one candidate. The South-East felt cheated, so the South-East went to one point because of the Igbo man.
And the third demography: the Obidients, young Nigerians who felt they were angry, they wanted a younger person and all of that because the other candidates were older than him (Obi)."
Keyamo insisted that President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) remain politically grounded in the north.
"If you put Peter Obi this time as president, he cannot penetrate the north. We have our structures in the north. We have governors and our structures in the north," he said.
