Keyamo has predicted that Obi-Atiku Alliance under ADC will collapse demographically.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed the possibility of a successful alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Keyamo said any attempt by the opposition to field a joint Atiku-Obi ticket would fail due to what he described as the collapse of the key demographic factors that bolstered Obi’s performance in the 2023 election.
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“They are going nowhere in terms of demography,” Keyamo stated. “I like what is happening—it puts us on our toes, and it will make us work harder—but the numbers are not looking good for them.”
Keyamo noted that there are ongoing discussions within opposition circles to unite Atiku and Obi under the ADC to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. However, he believes such a merger would be politically ineffective.
“This so-called ADC in 2027 is trying to bring Peter Obi and Atiku together to combine their numbers and beat our over eight million votes. But here is why that won’t work,” he said.
According to Keyamo, three major demographic forces were behind Peter Obi’s strong showing in 2023—his Christian identity, his Igbo background, and his appeal among Nigerian youths. He argued that all three would collapse if Obi were to play a secondary role in a ticket headed by Atiku.
“In 2023, all the other major candidates were Muslims. Peter Obi was the only Christian, so Christians naturally rallied around him. Secondly, the South-East felt marginalised and saw Obi as their chance, so they voted as a bloc. Thirdly, he appealed to young people—the Obidients—who wanted a younger, fresh voice. None of those will hold if he’s not the lead candidate.”
Keyamo also underscored the APC’s entrenched influence in the North, maintaining that Peter Obi lacks the political machinery to penetrate the region, even if he were to contest as the presidential candidate.
“We [APC] are grounded in the North. We have the governors. We have the structure. Obi cannot break through that,” he concluded.
