Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo has accused former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar and ex‑Senate President David Mark of plotting to exploit and then abandon Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Speaking on X shortly after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was unveiled as the new vehicle for a united opposition front, Keyamo described Atiku and Mark as “old, cunning guards” intent on using Obi’s popularity for their own ends.
“The person whom the old, cunning guards want to take for a ride in all of this is Peter Obi. They want his votes, but don’t want to give him their Presidential ticket, because this is Atiku’s show simpliciter. That is why David Mark is the interim chairman,” Keyamo wrote.
He warned that any coalition excluding Obi from the ticket risks alienating his sizeable support base. “But if you do not give Peter Obi the Presidential ticket, you lose his supporters. It is as simple as that,” he added, pointing to Obi’s victory in both the South‑East and South‑South regions in 2023. “And how can you make someone who won two regions in the last election (South‑East and South‑South) a running mate to the person who won only one region (North‑East)?”
Keyamo characterised the ADC alliance as little more than Atiku’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) joined by disaffected All Progressives Congress (APC) figures. “This is just Atiku’s faction of PDP in desperate search for the 2027 presidential ticket—nothing more, nothing less,” he said. He went on to note that several APC members in the coalition had actively opposed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 election, while a handful of others were recent election losers seeking new platforms.
He also cautioned that mixing politicians from two separate parties could trigger legal complications. “Politicians in the coalition belonging to two political parties is a ground for disqualification in an election,” Keyamo warned.
On Tuesday, opposition leaders formally adopted the ADC as their joint ticket for the 2027 presidential race, appointing David Mark as national chairman and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
PETER OBI HAS LOSE POLITICAL FOCUS. ATIKU, EL,RUFAI, AMECHI, AREGBESOLA ARE WOUNDED, FRUSTRATED POLITICIANS WHO HAS LOSE POLITICAL FOCUS AND RELEVANCE IN NIGERIA