The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have engaged in a public exchange over zoning, opposition politics and the roles of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Keyamo, in a post on X on Thursday, accused the ADC of failing to clearly zone its presidential ticket, alleging that the party was effectively under the control of Atiku.
According to the minister, the lack of clarity on zoning posed a threat to national unity and mirrored what he described as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) mistakes ahead of the 2023 election.
“So, there is no hiding place for the opposition, just like there is no hiding place for the ruling party,” Keyamo wrote.
He argued that the ADC was reluctant to openly zone its ticket because of Atiku’s influence, warning that such ambiguity could have damaging consequences.
“The ADC is scared to clearly zone its presidential ticket, like the other major parties (PDP and APC) have done, because the party belongs to one man called Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
“It is the exact corner that Atiku pushed PDP to in 2023 that ADC now finds itself — the inability to zone its presidential ticket,” he added.
Keyamo said zoning was essential in a “highly sensitive country like Nigeria,” adding that the All Progressives Congress (APC) benefited from clearly zoning its ticket in 2023, while the PDP suffered from its decision not to do so.
“In a highly sensitive country like Nigeria, any pan-Nigerian party must be clear as to zoning,” he wrote, describing the PDP’s experience in 2023 as “disastrous.”
The minister also accused Atiku of attempting to leverage Peter Obi’s popularity to secure votes, claiming the arrangement was driven by personal ambition rather than national interest.
“Atiku wants to camouflage with Peter Obi and surreptitiously secure his votes and become president on a flawed template that will damage our fragile unity as a nation,” Keyamo said.
He further alleged that Obi was backing the arrangement for “selfish reasons,” including the prospect of a vice-presidential ticket.
“Commiserations to the naive Obi supporters who are being led into a dead end by wily, old warhorses in politics,” he added.
In response, the ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, rejected Keyamo’s claims in a lengthy post on X, saying the minister’s understanding of zoning was flawed.
“My brother, @fkeyamo, happy New Year,” Abdullahi wrote, before adding, “On a serious note, your perspective on the issue of zoning is not correct.”
He recalled debates within the APC after the 2015 election, noting that zoning had been dismissed by some party leaders as “a PDP thing” and inconsistent with progressive politics. Abdullahi said this position allowed APC presidential primaries to remain open across regions in previous election cycles.
“This was why Rochas Okorocha was able to contest alongside Buhari, Kwankwaso, Atiku and Sam Nda-Isaiah,” he said, adding that a similar pattern played out in 2023.
On national unity, Abdullahi argued that zoning should also account for religious balance, accusing the APC of undermining cohesion with its Muslim–Muslim ticket.
“Talking about zoning as a mechanism for strengthening national unity, you would agree with me that this also includes religious balancing,” he said, alleging that the APC “put a knife to this fragile rope of national unity” by settling for such a ticket.
Addressing concerns about the ADC’s plans, Abdullahi said the party was still consulting and had not reached a final decision.
“What we are putting together is a winning coalition. Therefore, for us, nothing is settled yet,” he said, adding that any eventual decision would be guided by strategy and a commitment to keeping the country together.
He also dismissed claims that the ADC revolved around one individual.
“What you said about the ADC being organised around an individual’s ambition is not true,” Abdullahi said, describing the allegation as “a weak attempt at gaslighting the Peter Obi camp.”
The exchange highlights growing tensions as opposition parties and figures position themselves ahead of the next general election.
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