Keyamo: Obi’s Christian, Igbo, youth support will collapse if he runs as Atiku’s deputy

• The aviation minister claimed APC retains unmatched political structures in the north, including governors and senators.
• Obi has dismissed running‑mate speculation, saying he is only committed to serving one term if elected president.

The minister of aviation, Festus Keyamo, has predicted that Peter Obi’s support base in the 2023 elections would vanish if he runs as Atiku Abubakar’s deputy in 2027.

Obi, candidate of the Labour Party, and Abubakar, who flew the Peoples Democratic Party’s flag, both lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress in 2023.

Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes, ahead of Abubakar’s 6,984,520, while Obi garnered 6,101,533 to finish third.

Keyamo, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, dismissed the opposition coalition promoted by the African Democratic Congress as incapable of making electoral impact.

He argued that the plan to merge Obi’s bloc with Abubakar’s following to challenge APC’s hold was not grounded in reality.

“The ADC is going nowhere in terms of demography,” Keyamo said.

“I like what is happening; it keeps us on our toes and makes us work harder, but the numbers are not adding up for them.

“What they are banking on in 2027 is to combine Atiku and Obi’s votes and surpass the eight million we scored.

“But that calculation is faulty. If Obi becomes Atiku’s deputy, the three demographic factors that delivered his votes in 2023 will collapse.

“In that election, Obi was the only Christian among the major candidates, and so Christians rallied behind him.

“The South‑East also felt shortchanged, so they lined up for their kinsman.

“And young Nigerians, angry and desirous of a youthful candidate, chose Obi since his rivals were older.”

The aviation minister added that Obi would not easily attract votes from the north, claiming that APC’s dominance in the region remained secure.

“If you put Obi as president now, he cannot break into the north. We have structures there — governors, senators, networks — and those structures remain intact,” he said.

Meanwhile, the former Anambra governor has distanced himself from suggestions of becoming a running mate, insisting he would only serve one term if elected president.