The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of being worried about the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s growing support in northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, made the allegation in a statement titled, “Why Atiku Abubakar Is Particularly Jittery About the Kaduna Flag-off.”
In the statement, the minister criticised what he described as online attacks by Atiku, who is associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), against the APC ahead of its presidential campaign rally in Kaduna State.
Keyamo alleged that some videos circulating on social media, purportedly showing the removal of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign posters, were staged to create the impression that the President had lost support in northern Nigeria.
He also dismissed as fake a purported letter claiming that N2.3 trillion had been set aside for the Kaduna rally. According to him, the document was intended to suggest that the APC was using financial inducements to attract supporters.
However, Keyamo did not provide evidence in his statement to substantiate his allegations concerning the videos or the purported letter.
The minister argued that Atiku’s political strategy ahead of the 2027 election relied heavily on securing votes from northern Nigeria, while suggesting that the former vice-president faced difficulties attracting sufficient support in the South.
Referring to the 2023 presidential election, Keyamo claimed that Atiku lost across the North-Central states and all Southern states except Osun State.
He further alleged that Atiku had initially expected Tinubu to have limited electoral support in the North but was now concerned about the APC’s political structures and growing presence in the region.
According to Keyamo, the APC’s influence in northern Nigeria could weaken Atiku’s strategy of relying on the region to secure victory in the next presidential election.
The minister also argued that even if Atiku performed strongly in some northern states, it might not be enough to secure victory without significant support from the Middle Belt and Southern states.
Keyamo compared Atiku’s political position with that of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who secured substantial support in northern Nigeria during the 2015 presidential election.
He maintained that Atiku’s political background differed from Buhari’s, while also making corruption-related allegations against the former vice-president without providing supporting evidence in the statement.
The exchange comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political parties and their potential presidential candidates seeking to strengthen their support across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
