Keyamo says Atiku’s absence would not threaten democracy
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Post and Vanguard
Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo believes that the absence of Atiku Abubakar from the 2027 presidential ballot would not threaten democracy. He defends the role of the courts in challenges targeting the opposition, according to Vanguard.
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, said on Friday during the Frontline programme on Eagle 102.5 FM in Ilese-Ijebu that the ruling party has an interest in seeing Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi stand separately. “It is in our interest that Atiku Abubakar and Obi stand, so that the opposition does not unite under a single banner,” he said, according to Vanguard.
To back up his point, the minister recalled that the courts had, a few years ago, disqualified all of his party’s candidates in Zamfara State, from the governor to the senators and members of the assemblies. According to him, the APC accepted those decisions without the country collapsing, and comparable decisions targeting the opposition should not be presented as interference. He also defends the courts’ action regarding ADC members who say they were deprived of their rights during the party’s leadership crisis, and considers that their grievances should not be ignored because figures such as Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President David Mark are involved.
The minister also rejected any involvement by President Bola Tinubu in the divisions within the ADC, saying that the head of state has no role in the internal affairs of that party. He urged the opposition to take its disputes to the courts and let judges decide, without pressure. “The more disorganised the opposition is, the more it suits those in power,” he added.
