Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will defeat opposition leaders Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election.
Keyamo made the prediction during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he expressed confidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would retain power in the next general election.
Responding to a question on whether he could confidently ask Nigerians to vote for President Tinubu and the APC again, the minister said the government’s achievements had already earned the support of many Nigerians.
“Everybody in the world has attested to the facts. To be honest, nobody can say all of it now. But we won in Ekiti. We told them to vote and they voted. In the FCT, they voted. We won already,” he said.
When the interviewer pointed out that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would be on the ballot in 2027 and asked what gave him confidence of victory, Keyamo dismissed Obi’s electoral chances.
“I’m looking around. Between you and me, where will Obi’s votes come from? I can’t see it,” he said.
Even after the interviewer suggested that many Nigerians might disagree with his assessment, the minister maintained his position.
“I don’t see where it will come from,” Keyamo added.
Asked whether former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar posed a major challenge to the APC, the minister brushed aside the suggestion before making a bold prediction about the outcome of the election.
“Atiku, who?… Look, listen. I want to make a profound closing statement. Not out of arrogance. Not out of overconfidence. But out of pure demographic calculations. The 2027 election is a coronation, not an election. I repeat, don’t take me out of context. Out of pure demographic calculations, it’s a coronation,” he said.
When the interviewer asked whether he was implying that the election would be rigged, Keyamo rejected the suggestion, insisting that his comments were based solely on electoral demographics.
“You see yourself. You heard what I said. Demographic calculations. You are taking it somewhere else. I didn’t say that,” he responded.
As the interview drew to a close, the minister jokingly ended the exchange in pidgin, saying, “I don tey with una, no dey worry me like this… Everywhere go blur. Everywhere go blur.”
Keyamo’s latest remarks came shortly after he accused Peter Obi of lying over claims that he was harassed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
During the same television interview, the minister criticised the interviewer for not confronting Obi over the allegation during an earlier interview with the opposition politician.
According to Keyamo, CCTV footage from the airport contradicted Obi’s claims that his vehicle was unfairly clamped because of his opposition status. He maintained that the vehicle was parked unattended in a restricted drop-off zone, leading airport officials to clamp it in line with existing regulations.
The minister insisted that airport workers acted professionally and had no knowledge that the vehicle belonged to Obi when they carried out the enforcement action.
During the interview, Keyamo described Obi’s claims as false, saying, “Then I saw the man was lying. He lies like a fish drinking water. He lies. He lies for fun.”
Recall that the minister had earlier in the month demanded that the former Anambra State governor apologise to airport personnel and pay the ₦25,000 parking fine, warning that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) could take further action if the demands were ignored.