The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of being jittery over the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Kaduna State, alleging that the opposition leader fears losing his anticipated northern support ahead of the 2027 general election.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), made the allegation in a statement titled “Why Atiku Abubakar Is Particularly Jittery About the Kaduna Flag-Off,” in which he accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate of deploying online attacks and disinformation to undermine President Bola Tinubu’s popularity in the North.
According to Keyamo, the alleged tactics include staging videos of individuals removing Tinubu’s campaign posters and circulating claims that the President’s support in northern Nigeria is being sustained through financial inducements.
He also described as fake a purported letter alleging that N2.3 trillion had been earmarked for the APC’s Kaduna rally, claiming that the document was intended to create the impression that Tinubu had been rejected by northern voters.
Keyamo argued that Atiku’s alleged concerns stemmed from his expectation that northern votes would be decisive in his bid for the presidency in 2027.
He claimed that the former vice-president had initially calculated that Tinubu would struggle to attract significant support in the North and would rely largely on votes from the South.
The minister further alleged that Atiku had supported southern presidential candidates in previous political calculations to divide votes in the region and improve his chances of securing a northern electoral advantage.
However, Keyamo said the APC’s political structures in the North had strengthened Tinubu’s position, undermining Atiku’s anticipated electoral strategy.
He also argued that even if Atiku secured victories in some northern states, losses in the North-Central region and southern Nigeria could undermine his overall chances.
Citing the 2023 presidential election, Keyamo claimed that Atiku’s performance across the Middle Belt and southern states demonstrated the limitations of his electoral reach beyond his northern strongholds.
The minister also rejected comparisons between Atiku and former President Muhammadu Buhari, who secured substantial northern support in the 2015 presidential election.
He argued that Atiku’s political record and the corruption allegations he faces distinguish him from Buhari, adding that northern voters would not necessarily replicate the voting pattern that helped the former president win office.
Keyamo concluded with a sharp criticism of Atiku’s political calculations, describing him as “a butterfly that thinks it is a bird.”
Atiku and the ADC had not responded to the allegations in the statement as of the time of filing this report.