2027 Election: Atiku’s Camp Reacts as Keyamo Asks Coalition to Give Peter Obi Presidential Ticket

• Phrank Shaibu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar's aide, said plots to infiltrate the leadership rank of the ADC coalition are “clear and it has failed"
• Shaibu warned that those allegedly responsible for the misery of Nigerians would not be allowed to hijack the leadership of the ADC coalition
• Reacting to remarks by APC's Festus Keyamo that ADC should pick Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, Shaibu slammed the minister

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja - Phrank Shaibu, special assistant on public communication to former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, has said the light-hearted call by Festus Keyamo for the opposition coalition to give Peter Obi the presidential ticket is part of a calculated ploy to ignite conflict.

Legit.ng recalls that Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, recently said that the newly formed opposition coalition risks losing Obi’s support base if it fails to offer him the 2027 presidential ticket.

Keyamo argued that the formation of the coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ultimately strengthens the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He maintained that the decision of some politicians to adopt the coalition amounts to a legal and political abandonment of the alliance's members’ former parties, suggesting that it could disqualify them from electoral participation if they continue to identify with multiple parties.

He described the emergence of the ADC-led alliance as a formal collapse of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that the old guards within the PDP had been pushed aside by younger members, leaving what he termed a coalition of former party stalwarts seeking political relevance.

The Delta-born politician added that the coalition now essentially represents a faction of the PDP led by Atiku in search of a new presidential platform.

Keyamo dismissed the inclusion of a few APC members in the coalition, describing them as individuals who had either opposed President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 elections or lost their constituencies.

Coalition: Shaibu asks Nigerians to stay alert

Reacting to Keyamo's remarks about the anti-APC coalition, Shaibu accused the minister of trying to break "the momentum of unity" among the opposition members.

The aide of the ex-vice president alleged that prominent individuals from the APC camp aim to "divide and dominate us", vowing to stay undistracted.

He wrote on his known X (formerly Twitter) page:

"Let’s pause and ask the obvious: Why would those who failed Nigeria be the ones telling us how to fix it? Why are our oppressors suddenly so invested in the internal decisions of a coalition formed to rescue the country from them?

"In moments like this, the greatest danger is turning on one another. These forces thrive on confusion, suspicion, and internal conflict. Their goal is simple: weaken our bond and break our resolve."

He added:

"We’ve seen it all before. In 2023, they planted agents in our camps, twisted our narratives, and disrupted our momentum. It worked once. But never again. This time, Nigerians are alert. Eyes open. Hearts ready.

"They fear our unity because it is the one thing they cannot control. They fear our movement because it is powered by the people. They have no vision, no record, no future — only fear and desperation."

Shaibu concluded:

"This is our time. And we’re not backing down. We are not divided. We are not distracted. We are ADC — all the way!"

Read more on the anti-Bola Tinubu coalition:

• Drama as opposition blows hot after Abuja Hotel suddenly cancels ADC unveiling hours before event
• ADC: Full text of Rauf Aregbesola's speech as he becomes secretary of anti-Tinubu coalition

Zulum uninterested in ADC

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Professor Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno state, dismissed rumours making the rounds about alleged plans by him to defect into the fold of the ADC coalition.

The Borno governor said he would not defect to the opposition ADC.

The governor insisted that his loyalty to the APC is “sacrosanct”.

Source: Legit.ng