Keyamo Claims Atiku Fears APC’s Northern Support Ahead of 2027 Elections

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of being anxious about the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s support in northern Nigeria as the 2027 presidential election approaches.

Keyamo made these remarks in a statement where he criticized Atiku’s online attacks against the APC before the party’s campaign rally in Kaduna State. He claimed that videos showing the removal of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign posters were staged to suggest that the President was losing support in the North.

Additionally, Keyamo dismissed as fake a letter that allegedly stated N2.3 trillion had been set aside for the Kaduna rally. He argued that this was an attempt to make it seem like the APC needed to use money to attract supporters. However, he did not provide any evidence to back up his claims regarding the videos or the letter.

Keyamo suggested that Atiku’s political strategy for the upcoming election relies heavily on securing votes from the North. He pointed out that Atiku faced difficulties gaining support in the South, noting that he lost in the North-Central states and all Southern states except Osun in the last election.

According to Keyamo, Atiku initially thought Tinubu would not be popular in the North but is now worried about the APC’s strong presence there. He believes this could threaten Atiku’s plans to win the presidency by focusing on northern votes.

Keyamo also compared Atiku to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who had significant support in the North during the 2015 election. He claimed that Atiku’s political background is different from Buhari’s and made allegations of corruption against Atiku without providing evidence.

These comments come as political activity ramps up ahead of the 2027 general elections, with parties and candidates working to build support across Nigeria’s different regions.