The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has strongly dismissed the notion that a political coalition could successfully unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, labelling such efforts as “impossible.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Keyamo referred to the discussions surrounding a potential opposition coalition, led by figures such as Labour Party chieftain Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as a “storm in a teacup.”
“There is no tsunami coming. “I think it’s a storm in a teacup. I respect these people, but if you look at the political history of Nigeria… I have campaigned for two presidents, so I have knowledge of the demography. It is impossible for you to do a coalition now to unseat the present President (Tinubu),” Keyamo said, dismissing the claims of a looming political challenge.
Naija News reports that Keyamo’s comments come in response to calls from various opposition figures, including Baba-Ahmed, who has accused the Tinubu administration of “widespread rot” and urged Nigerians to consider other options for 2027.
Some within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also hinted at the possibility of forming a coalition to challenge the APC’s dominance.
However, the idea has not garnered unanimous support, with several PDP governors publicly distancing themselves from the proposal. Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose described the coalition talks as “a dead horse” and a “waste of time.”
When asked if the APC could withstand the alleged political “tsunami” being mobilised against it, Keyamo insisted that the coalition discussions were either misguided or occurring too late in the political cycle.
“There are two different things they are talking about — a merger or an alliance. They should be very clear. If it’s a merger, forget it, because it’s too late to start a merger now,” Keyamo said.
He emphasised that the process of registering a new party and establishing a coalition in time for the 2027 elections was not feasible.
“With the process you have to go through — to register, get a new identity and all that — and with elections just around the corner by next year’s end, it is not feasible,” Keyamo added.
Keyamo recalled how, after the 2011 elections, President Tinubu initiated merger talks with then-General Muhammadu Buhari, a process that took years of negotiations and back-and-forth meetings before the formation of the APC.
“The moment we lost the 2011 elections, Tinubu flew to Kaduna and met General (Muhammadu) Buhari. It was a long process before the APC was birthed. These people (current coalition proponents) are not experienced enough,” Keyamo said.
“The President you are seeing now has gone through all of these, so he is just smiling and looking at all of them; he understands,” Keyamo concluded, reaffirming Tinubu’s experience in navigating political challenges.
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