2027: Peter Obi Cannot Penetrate Northern Nigeria – Keyamo
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed the chances of Labour Party’s Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the former Anambra governor has no political base in northern Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels TV on Sunday, Keyamo said the alliance between Obi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and other opposition figures on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will not change anything.
“They are going nowhere in terms of demography,” he said.
Keyamo argued that Obi’s strong showing in the 2023 election was largely due to religion, ethnicity, and youth sentiment, which he claimed will not favour him next time.
“The other candidates were Muslims, and so there was only one Christian candidate, and the Christians went to one candidate.
“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 were angry and wanted a younger person,” he explained.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has firm structures in the North that Obi cannot break into.
“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,” Keyamo stated.
His comments come after Atiku, Obi, former Senate President David Mark, ex-ministers Rauf Aregbesola and Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai adopted the ADC as their joint political platform.
On the controversial ₦712bn plan to rebuild the Lagos airport, Keyamo defended the project, saying the terminal is too old and no longer fit for use.
“The roof of the airport is leaking. The place is decrepit and smelly. You see people selling Indomie and all kinds of kiosks erected there. The ceilings are failing, and the carousels are not working because their parts are not in the market anymore,” he said.
He added that the project would be funded from savings made from subsidy removal and naira unification, not the national budget.
“It is not a refurbishment; we are tearing it down. Only the pillars will remain, the carcass, the decking. Everything will go,” he said.
Keyamo said the plan is to make Lagos a proper aviation hub that can compete with airports in Ethiopia and South Africa.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
