The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has voiced his skepticism over a rumored political alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi. According to Keyamo, such a joint presidential ticket would likely struggle to attract support from key voter blocs, particularly Christians and the South East region.
Keyamo made the statement during his appearance on the Channels Television programme "Sunday Politics." While discussing the potential political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, he revealed what he described as insider knowledge about an emerging strategy within the opposition.
“I want to do small expo, but it’s an expo that will not help them either way. Do you know what they are working on? They want to bring Peter Obi and Atiku together,” he said.
The minister argued that such a political arrangement would be detrimental to Peter Obi’s appeal among Christian voters, a demographic that was pivotal to the over six million votes he received in the 2023 election while running under the Labour Party.
“Once you make Obi the deputy to Atiku, the Christian demography will pull out of that 6 million votes Obi won in 2023. Don’t forget that the President also has a pastor who is a wife. So that Christian demographic, we will snatch some of them and increase our votes,” Keyamo explained.
He went further to say that the proposed ticket would likely alienate voters in the South East, who overwhelmingly supported Peter Obi in the last election. According to him, placing Atiku—a northern Muslim—as the lead candidate would not sit well with the region’s electorate.
“That South East demography that supported him, once it’s Atiku, they will pull out. They will not support him,” he stated.
Keyamo also suggested that religious leaders, especially church pastors, would be hesitant to endorse or campaign for what he called “an 80-year-old Muslim president,” referencing Atiku’s age and faith. “The pastors cannot come out campaigning for an 80-year-old Muslim president. They will not do that. So they will lose that demography,” he concluded.
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