- Keyamo said the emergence of ADC in its new form heralded the official dissolution of the PDP, which he said was “hitherto Nigeria’s strongest opposition party.”
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has shared his views regarding the adoption of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by the coalition forces and the influx of top opposition figures into the party.
This is as he warned that heavyweights opposition politicians who are publicly aligning with the ADC while still retaining the membership of their respective parties are violating Nigeria’s constitution.
He asserted that the public alignment with the ADC amounts to an effective departure of the individuals from their original parties, warning that such cross-party affiliations are illegal.
He, however, said the coalition movement will only strengthen the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“What happened earlier today with the movement of the so-called ‘coalition’ into the ADC is the greatest factor that has strengthened the APC ahead of the 2027 elections,” Keyamo said in a statement on Wednesday.
“By law, you cannot operate from, or belong to, two or multiple political parties,” he said.
“So, it is safe to say that their open declaration for ADC today is a clear abandonment of their previous parties. In fact, belonging to two political parties is a ground for disqualification in an election.”
Keyamo said the emergence of ADC in its new form heralded the official dissolution of the PDP, which he said was “hitherto Nigeria’s strongest opposition party.”
He also stated that the ADC is populated by disaffected and disgruntled old members of the PDP who have lost control of the party to younger politicians, adding that the coalition is another move by the camp of the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, to finesse their way onto the ballot in the next presidential election.
“The majority of the old guard in the PDP — who have apparently lost control of the party — have been pushed out by the younger Turks,” he claimed.
“That is why the gathering today was a conglomerate of ‘former this’ and ‘former that’ of the PDP. No matter how you look at it, this is just Atiku’s faction of PDP in desperate search for the 2027 presidential ticket — nothing more, nothing less.”
He downplayed the impact of the coalition on the APC, insisting it posed no threat to the ruling party.
“The other addition to the so-called coalition is a sprinkling of APC members who worked against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last election, and one or two APC leaders who lost their constituencies to opposition parties in 2023,” he said
“Their movement, therefore, takes nothing away from the APC. It is actually better for the APC because it is just a case of totally extracting the germ that was eating the cola nut from within.”
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