Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says Peter Obi lacks the political reach to make headway in northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Keyamo argued that President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have entrenched structures in the north that give them a decisive edge over the opposition.
While addressing plans by opposition parties to form a coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Keyamo dismissed their chances as slim.
“They are going nowhere in terms of demography,” he said.
Although he acknowledged that such moves would compel the ruling party to work harder, he insisted the numbers are not in their favour.
“I like what is happening; they are putting us on our toes; it is going to make us work harder, but the numbers are not looking good for them,” he said.
He also criticised the proposed alliance between Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, saying the strategy would collapse due to lost demographic advantages.
“This so-called ADC, in 2027, what they are working on is to bring Peter Obi and Atiku (Abubakar) together to join those numbers and beat our over eight million votes,” Keyamo stated.
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“Let me tell you why it is wrong. If you make Peter Obi the deputy to Atiku, three demographic factors delivered Peter Obi in 2023, but the three will collapse.”
According to him, Obi benefited in 2023 because he was the only Christian candidate, had support from the South-East due to ethnic sentiment, and attracted young Nigerians seeking a generational shift.
“The other candidates were Muslims, and so there was only one Christian candidate, and the Christians went to one candidate,” he said.
“The South-East felt cheated, so the South-East went to one point because of the Igbo man.
“And the third demography: the Obidients, young Nigerians who felt they were angry, they wanted a younger person and all of that because the other candidates were older than him (Obi).”
Keyamo concluded that if Obi runs again, especially as a vice-presidential candidate, his northern influence would be negligible.
“If you put Peter Obi this time as president, he cannot penetrate the north. We have our structures in the north. We have governors and our structures in the north,” he said.