The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has said that the recent formation of a political coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has actually helped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) become stronger as the 2027 elections approach.
On his official X page (formerly Twitter), Keyamo explained that according to Nigerian law, politicians can’t be part of more than one political party at the same time. So, those who openly joined the ADC have clearly left their former parties.
He pointed out that holding memberships in two different parties can disqualify someone from running in an election.
Keyamo described the rise of ADC in its new form as a sign that the once-powerful Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is falling apart. He said the PDP’s leadership has shifted to younger people, pushing out many of its long-time leaders.
He said most of those at the ADC gathering were former PDP members who are still chasing political power, especially the presidential ticket in 2027. In his words, it looked like Atiku Abubakar’s faction of the PDP trying to find a new platform.
Keyamo also mentioned that some of the people in the ADC coalition were APC members who didn’t support President Tinubu in the last election, or those who lost their seats in 2023. He said their exit doesn’t affect the APC negatively—instead, it’s like removing a harmful element from within the party.
According to Keyamo, the older politicians from PDP are planning to use Labour Party’s Peter Obi to gain votes, but without giving him the presidential ticket. He said this trick might backfire.
He argued that if Peter Obi is not made the presidential candidate, his supporters may not vote for the coalition. He questioned how Obi, who won two regions in 2023 (South-East and South-South), could be asked to play second fiddle to someone who only won one region (North-East).
Keyamo summed up his opinion by saying that when everything settles, PDP and Labour Party would lose strength, the ADC would gain little, and the APC would remain untouched and strong.
He added that since the 2023 elections, APC has grown stronger while opposition parties have broken apart and weakened.
To end his post, Keyamo asked the public to allow the opposition do their political organizing as allowed by law, while the government continues its work in governance.
