Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has described the mass defection of prominent opposition figures to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the “formal dismemberment” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), formerly Nigeria’s leading opposition force.
Keyamo’s remarks came in response to Wednesday’s public unveiling of the ADC as the political platform for a new opposition coalition aiming to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections. The event drew high-profile attendees from across the political spectrum, including former members of the PDP, Labour Party (LP), and even some elements of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Keyamo, the public declaration for ADC effectively invalidates the defectors’ affiliations with their former parties, noting that Nigerian law prohibits dual party membership.
“The emergence of the ADC in its current form signals the formal collapse of the PDP, once Nigeria’s strongest opposition party,” he said. “The old guard in the PDP, many of whom have lost influence, have been sidelined by the younger generation and are now regrouping elsewhere. Today’s gathering was essentially a collection of ‘former this’ and ‘former that’ from the PDP.”
Keyamo downplayed the significance of the new coalition, arguing that it is essentially a rebranding of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s political ambitions.
“No matter how it’s packaged, this is simply Atiku’s faction of the PDP searching desperately for a 2027 presidential ticket—nothing more, nothing less,” he asserted.
Commenting on the involvement of some APC members in the coalition, Keyamo dismissed their defection as inconsequential to the ruling party.
“Their exit does not weaken the APC; in fact, it strengthens us by removing internal dissenters,” he said. “Most of these individuals either worked against President Tinubu in the last election or failed to win their constituencies.”
Keyamo also questioned the coalition’s sincerity toward Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, suggesting that his support base is being exploited without any genuine intention of offering him the presidential ticket.
“The person being misled in all of this is Peter Obi,” Keyamo said. “They want his supporters, especially in the South-East and South-South, but they won’t give him the ticket because this is Atiku’s show, plain and simple. That’s why David Mark was named interim chairman—those familiar with Nigerian politics know what that signals.”
The coalition has named former Senate President David Mark as its interim national chairman and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary, a move widely interpreted as laying the groundwork for a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections.
