Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has thrown a political jab at Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, claiming the former Anambra governor stands little chance of penetrating northern Nigeria in the 2027 presidential elections.
Speaking during a heated appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Keyamo argued that Obi’s 2023 momentum was driven by short-lived factors that no longer hold water.
“Three things delivered Peter Obi in 2023. He was the only Christian candidate, the South-East felt cheated and rallied behind him, and young Nigerians, the Obidients, saw him as the youngest and most relatable candidate,” he stated.
According to the minister, those dynamics have since faded and will further collapse if Obi accepts a proposed vice-presidential slot under a coalition with Atiku Abubakar on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform.
“If you make Peter Obi the deputy to Atiku, those three factors collapse,” he said, referring to the growing talks of an opposition mega-coalition that includes Atiku, Obi, and other political powerhouses seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Keyamo didn’t stop there. He flatly dismissed the emerging alliance, arguing it lacks both political traction and demographic advantage. “They are going nowhere in terms of demography. It is going to make us work harder, but the numbers are not looking good for them,” he stated confidently.
He further emphasized that Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) remain firmly rooted in the North, owing to established political machinery and the influence of incumbency. “We have our structures in the North. We have governors and our structures in the North,” he asserted.
Despite claims by the opposition that the combined votes of Obi and Atiku in 2023 surpassed Tinubu’s tally by over four million, Keyamo remained unfazed. “They’re only combining numbers; they are not adding value,” he said.
With Tinubu widely expected to run for a second term in 2027, in line with Nigeria’s informal North-South rotation agreement, Keyamo’s comments set the stage for what could be a bruising political battle, and a divided opposition.
''The format the ADC coalition is using is expired. Nigerians know them and won't fall for that…Peter Obi can't penetrate the North because we have all our structures.''
— Channels Television (@channelstv) August 3, 2025
-Festus Keyamo#SundayPolitics pic.twitter.com/IBRKPKZxhv
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