By Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has dismissed Wednesday’s high-profile launch of an opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) banner as a political farce that ultimately strengthens the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The minister’s assessment came hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, Nasir El-rufai, Rotimi Amarchi, Abubakar Malami, Peter Obi and other prominent figures formally adopted the ADC as their platform for the 2027 elections at a much-publicised Abuja event.
“What happened earlier today with the movement of the so called ‘coalition’ into the ADC is the greatest factor that has strengthened the APC ahead of the 2027 elections,” Keyamo stated.
Citing Nigeria’s Electoral Act which prohibits dual party membership, Keyamo argued the defections had effectively gutted the opposition: “By law, you cannot operate from, or belong to, two or multiple political parties… their open declaration for ADC today is a clear abandonment of their previous parties.”
The minister particularly ridiculed the coalition’s composition: “That is why the gathering today was a conglomerate of ‘former this’ and ‘former that’ of the PDP.” He described the move as “just Atiku’s faction of PDP in desperate search for the 2027 Presidential ticket – nothing more, nothing less.”
Keyamo reserved special criticism for the coalition’s treatment of Labour Party’s Peter Obi, suggesting he was being used: “The person who 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.”
The minister concluded with a withering assessment: “When the dust settles, you will discover that PDP and the Labour Party have lost something, the ADC have only gained something like a caricature, but the APC has lost ABSOLUTELY nothing.”
Wednesday’s ADC event had featured former governors, ministers and legislators from multiple parties pledging to unseat the APC.
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