Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed the chances of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi making significant inroads into northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Keyamo argued that the momentum that propelled Obi’s candidacy in the 2023 presidential race has since dissipated, especially in the North.
”The format the ADC coalition is using is expired. Nigerians know them and won’t fall for that…Peter Obi can’t penetrate the North because we have all our structures.” -Festus Keyamo#SundayPolitics pic.twitter.com/IBRKPKZxhv
— Channels Television (@channelstv) August 3, 2025
“Three factors delivered Peter Obi in 2023,” Keyamo stated. “He was the only Christian candidate, the South-East felt politically sidelined and rallied behind him, and young Nigerians—the Obidients—connected with him as the most relatable and youthful candidate.”
According to Keyamo, none of those dynamics will remain relevant in the 2027 contest, particularly if Obi agrees to run as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate under a new coalition being discussed within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) framework.
“If you make Peter Obi the deputy to Atiku, those three factors collapse,” he asserted.
Keyamo also downplayed the relevance of the proposed opposition coalition between Atiku, Obi, and other political figures, claiming it lacks the demographic leverage to threaten the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“They are going nowhere in terms of demography. It might make us work a bit harder, but the numbers simply don’t favour them,” he said.
Tinubu Remains Firm in the North
Reaffirming the strength of the ruling party, Keyamo expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu and the APC will retain their grip on the North in 2027, citing existing political infrastructure and the influence of incumbent governors.
“We have our structures. We have governors. The North remains solidly behind us,” he said.
He also dismissed the opposition’s strategy of combining Atiku and Obi’s 2023 votes—figures that collectively outnumbered Tinubu’s declared tally by over four million—as a flawed approach.
“They’re only combining numbers—they’re not adding value,” Keyamo argued.
President Tinubu, who succeeded northern leader Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, is widely expected to seek a second term to uphold Nigeria’s customary North-South power rotation arrangement.
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