• Keyamo: Obi Masking VP Bid as Populism
• Abdullahi: ADC Focused on Building Winning Coalition
• Shaibu: Atiku–Obi Threat to APC, not Nigeria
By Shaagee Orkula
Nigeria’s political space was thrown into a fresh storm on social media on Wednesday after Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, launched a blistering critique of Peter Obi’s decision to align with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), triggering sharp rebuttals from the party and allies of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Keyamo, writing on X, accused Obi of taking his supporters on what he described as a “dishonest emotional roller-coaster,” alleging that the former Labour Party presidential candidate had already struck a deal to emerge as Atiku’s vice-presidential running mate under the ADC platform. While acknowledging Obi’s constitutional right to join any political party, Keyamo insisted that presenting the move as a principled or moral stand was misleading.
According to him, the ADC was effectively structured around Atiku’s ambition, arguing that the party’s reluctance to clearly zone its presidential ticket reflected the same strategic miscalculation that cost the PDP victory in 2023. He further alleged that Obi was sacrificing broader national considerations for personal ambition, warning that Nigerians would ultimately reject what he called a flawed political contraption in 2027.
“There is no hiding place for the opposition, just as there is no hiding place for the ruling party,” Keyamo said, maintaining that scrutiny of political actors seeking high office was both legitimate and necessary. He dismissed suggestions that the ruling party’s response was driven by fear, saying Nigerians deserved clarity on the intentions of those positioning themselves for power.
ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi responded with a measured but pointed rebuttal, disputing Keyamo’s arguments on zoning and party ownership. Abdullahi traced the APC’s own history of flexible zoning arrangements, arguing that zoning had never been a fixed ideological principle but a political tool applied when convenient. He also questioned the moral authority of the APC to lecture others on national balance, citing its adoption of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2023.
Abdullahi said the ADC was focused on building a winning coalition and that no final decisions had been taken on its presidential ticket. He rejected claims that the party was organised around a single individual’s ambition, describing such assertions as an attempt to unsettle Obi’s supporters, while insisting that the ADC would not cross certain lines in the pursuit of power.
Keyamo, however, doubled down, reiterating that clarity on zoning was essential in a country as sensitive as Nigeria, and warning that any attempt to “camouflage” ambitions under vague coalition politics could undermine national unity.
The exchange escalated further when Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, entered the fray, accusing Keyamo and the ruling party of panic. Shaibu argued that the emergence of a potential Atiku–Obi alignment had disrupted what he called a “carefully engineered monopoly of power,” prompting what he described as selective outrage over zoning.
Shaibu dismissed zoning as a constitutional requirement, describing it instead as a political arrangement invoked or ignored based on convenience. He rejected claims that the ADC belonged to one man and accused the ruling party of using state power to weaken opposition parties. He also defended supporters of Atiku and Obi, saying they were driven not by naivety but by frustration over economic hardship, insecurity and declining living standards.