Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has downplayed the chances of a joint presidential ticket between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi in the 2027 general elections, saying Nigerian Christians and pastors will not support the move.
Keyamo made the remarks during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, where he suggested that an Atiku-Obi alliance would alienate significant voter blocs that supported the Labour Party candidate in the last election.
“I want to do small expo, but it’s an expo that will not help them either way. Do you know what they are working on? They want to bring Peter Obi and Atiku together,” he said.
The minister argued that if Obi accepts a vice-presidential role under Atiku, it would severely reduce the Christian demographic that propelled his 2023 campaign, which garnered over six million votes.
“Once you make Obi the deputy to Atiku, the Christian demography will pull out of that 6 million votes Obi won in 2023,” Keyamo stated.
He also hinted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration could attract part of the Christian vote in the event of such a political realignment.
“Don’t forget that the President also has a pastor who is a wife. So that Christian demographic—we will snatch some of them and increase our votes,” he said, referencing Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady and a senior pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Keyamo further asserted that Obi’s base in the South-East would not rally behind an Atiku-led ticket, saying, “Once it’s Atiku, they will pull out. They will not support him.”
He concluded that pastors would be unwilling to back an aging Muslim presidential candidate.
“The pastors cannot come out campaigning for an 80-year-old Muslim president. They will not do that. So they will lose that demography,” he added.
Okay.ng reports that Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, ran independently under the Labour Party in 2023, while Atiku Abubakar flew the PDP flag. Rumours of a potential merger have resurfaced as opposition leaders regroup ahead of 2027.
