Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that the factors that helped Peter Obi gain traction in the 2023 presidential election are unlikely to be effective in 2027.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Keyamo said Obi’s support largely stemmed from three temporary demographic trends which he believes will not be sustainable in future elections particularly in the northern part of the country.
He identified the first factor as religious sentiment, noting that Obi was the only major Christian candidate in a field dominated by Muslims, which led many Christian voters to rally behind him.
The second, he said, was regional loyalty from the South-East, where many voters supported Obi out of ethnic solidarity.
The third factor, according to Keyamo, was the rise of the Obidient movement an energetic youth-led campaign driven by frustration and a desire for younger leadership.
“These three factors came together to give Obi a good showing in 2023, but they won’t align the same way in 2027,” he argued.
Keyamo, a senior member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), also dismissed the possibility of a strong alliance between Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the next general election
He claimed such a coalition would struggle to gain significant support, especially in the North, where the APC maintains strong political structures.
“If Peter Obi is put forward as a presidential candidate again, he won’t be able to break into the northern voting bloc,” he said. “We still have our governors, our network, and our presence in the North.”
While acknowledging that the opposition keeps the APC on its toes, Keyamo insisted that the numbers are not in their favour. “They’re making us work harder, which is good, but demographically, they’re not going anywhere,” he concluded.
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