The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s structures in northern Nigeria will prevent opposition leader Peter Obi from garnering significant votes in the region in the 2027 presidential election.
Keyamo, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said that Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have strong political structures in place in Northern Nigeria, making it difficult for Obi to penetrate the region.The minister dismissed the opposition coalition floated on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying it won’t go far, they are going nowhere in terms of demography.
He said, “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.”
“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”, he added.
Keyamo listed three demographic factors that worked in Obi’s favour in 2023, including the fact that Obi was the only Christian candidate among major contenders, the South-East felt cheated and voted for him, and young Nigerians supported him due to his relatively younger age.
“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),” he said.
Keyamo emphasised that Tinubu’s structures in the north would help him secure votes in the region, making it difficult for Obi to penetrate.
“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 added.
Tinubu is seeking re-election in 2027 to complete the country’s eight-year unwritten rule on rotation of power between the southern and northern regions.
The ADC coalition, comprising top politicians like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and others, aims to oust Tinubu, whose administration has been accused of mismanaging the economy.
