Keyamo: Opposition Coalition’s Shift to ADC Signals End of PDP
Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation, says the migration of the opposition coalition into the African Democratic Congress (ADC) marks the “formal dismemberment of the PDP”, Nigeria’s erstwhile leading opposition party.
Speaking after the ADC was unveiled on Wednesday as the new political platform for a coalition targeting President Bola Tinubu’s seat in 2027, Keyamo said the development signalled a significant realignment in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“The emergence of ADC as presently constituted marks the formal dismemberment of the PDP, hitherto Nigeria’s strongest opposition party,” Keyamo stated.
He explained that the gathering included former leaders from multiple political parties, including the PDP, Labour Party (LP), and even the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The majority of the old guard in the PDP (who have lost control of the Party) have been pushed out of the party by the younger Turks within the PDP. That is why the gathering today was a conglomerate of ‘former this’ and ‘former that’ of the PDP,” he added.
Keyamo dismissed concerns over APC members joining the new coalition, noting that many of them either worked against Tinubu or failed to win their constituencies in 2023. “Their movement takes nothing away from the APC; it is better for the party as it removes internal dissenters.”
He also pointed to internal tensions within the coalition, particularly regarding Labour’s Peter Obi. “They want his votes, but don’t want to give him their Presidential ticket, because this is Atiku’s show simpliciter,” he said, warning that denying Obi the ticket would “lose his supporters.”
