Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has launched a fierce counter-attack against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of suffering from “agitated depression” over President Bola Tinubu’s political success.
Keyamo’s remarks follow Atiku’s scathing criticism during the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign council in Abuja, where the former vice president mocked the administration’s fuel subsidy management and described the 30-day petrol discount at NNPC stations as a “panic-driven publicity stunt.”
Speaking at the event, Atiku addressed the president directly by his first name, comparing him to a “dull student who copied his classmate’s answer” without understanding the underlying policy.
“You copied my production subsidy proposal—nothing wrong with that—but you stripped away the part that makes it work and handed Nigerians a 30-day discount. Where is the rest of the answer, Bola? You see why it is good to go to school,” Atiku had said.
Firing back in a statement on Friday, Keyamo asserted that Atiku’s hostility stems from deep-seated bitterness over failing to attain the presidency despite decades of trying.
“It is now very obvious that Atiku Abubakar is a pained and very bitter fellow,” Keyamo said. “The pain and bitterness stem from the fact that he feels President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally outsmarted him politically to get the most coveted position, and he simply can’t mentally deal with this fact.”
Keyamo dismissed Atiku’s outbursts—which he claimed were “veiled as opposition heroics”—as evidence of “agitated depression.”
He noted that while both politicians had pursued the nation’s top job since finishing their respective terms as governor and vice president in 2007, Tinubu ultimately prevailed through a combination of “fate, luck, divine intervention, and political dexterity.”
Citing Ecclesiastes 9:11 to argue that political outcomes are ultimately determined by God rather than raw ambition, Keyamo urged those close to the former vice president to intervene.
“Rather than goading him on, those around Atiku should actually administer anti-depressants on him,” Keyamo added. “He urgently needs mental health support at this critical time as he finally peters into political oblivion.”
