The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says Nigeria will not suffer a catastrophe if former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is absent from the ballot in the 2027 general elections.
Keyamo was reacting to Thursday’s Federal High Court judgment removing the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullifying the candidacies of the party’s flagbearers.
He recalled Atiku’s response to Supreme Court rulings that overturned the victories of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in Bayelsa and Zamfara states.
In February 2020, the Supreme Court nullified the election of David Lyon, the APC’s candidate for governor of Bayelsa, a day before his scheduled inauguration. Lyon and his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, were disqualified after the court ruled that Degi-Eremienyo had submitted forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The ruling paved the way for the inauguration of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Douye Diri as governor.
In May 2019, the Supreme Court also nullified the victories of APC candidates in Zamfara, including those contesting governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly seats. The court ruled that the party had failed to conduct valid primaries within the stipulated period, making its candidates ineligible to contest. PDP candidates who had come second in the elections were consequently declared winners.
In a social media post, Keyamo said the APC accepted both decisions without attacking the judiciary, despite their political consequences. He also recalled Atiku’s response to the Zamfara judgment, saying the former vice-president had urged political actors to accept court decisions rather than attack judges.
Keyamo argued that the same standard should apply in the current political climate, regardless of whose interests are affected. He cautioned against what he described as efforts to intimidate judges and blackmail the judiciary over electoral decisions.
“You cannot abuse judges and blackmail the judiciary when it doesn’t go your way,” he said.
Keyamo added that Atiku’s absence from the 2027 ballot should not be treated as a threat to the country.
“The heavens will not fall if a certain Atiku Abubakar is not on the ballot in 2027,” he said.
His comments come amid political realignments and disagreements among opposition parties over their strategies and preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
