Where Will Peter Obi’s Votes Come From? I Can’t See It – Keyamo Predicts Tinubu’s Landslide Victory

Where Will Peter Obi’s Votes Come From? I Can’t See It – Keyamo Predicts Tinubu’s Landslide Victory

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will defeat opposition leaders Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election, describing the contest as more of a “coronation” than an election. Keyamo made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he expressed confidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would comfortably retain power in the next general election. The minister’s remarks came shortly after he accused Obi of lying over claims of political harassment at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport—a dispute that has dominated public discourse in recent weeks.

Responding to a question on whether he could confidently ask Nigerians to vote for President Tinubu and the APC again, Keyamo said the government’s achievements had already earned the support of many Nigerians. He pointed to recent electoral victories as evidence of the party’s dominance, stating, “Everybody in the world has attested to the facts. To be honest, nobody can say all of it now. But we won in Ekiti. We told them to vote and they voted. In the FCT, they voted. We won already.” When the interviewer pointed out that Peter Obi—the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate—would be on the ballot in 2027 and asked what gave him confidence of victory, Keyamo dismissed Obi’s electoral chances with a rhetorical question. “I’m looking around. Between you and me, where will Obi’s votes come from? I can’t see it,” he said. Even after the interviewer suggested that many Nigerians might disagree with his assessment, the minister maintained his position, repeating, “I don’t see where it will come from.”

Asked whether former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar posed a major challenge to the APC, the minister brushed aside the suggestion with laughter. “Which Atiku? Nightmare who?” he retorted. Keyamo then made a bold prediction about the outcome of the election, urging his audience not to misinterpret his confidence. “I want to make a profound closing statement. Not out of arrogance. Not out of overconfidence. But out of pure demographic calculations. The 2027 election is a coronation, not an election. I repeat, don’t take me out of context. Out of pure demographic calculations, it’s a coronation,” he declared. When the interviewer asked whether he was implying that the election would be rigged, Keyamo rejected the suggestion, insisting that his comments were based solely on electoral demographics. “You see yourself. You heard what I said. Demographic calculations. You are taking it somewhere else. I didn’t say that,” he responded. As the interview drew to a close, the minister ended the exchange in pidgin, delivering a cryptic warning to the opposition. “I don tey with una, no dey worry me like this… Everywhere go blur. Everywhere go blur.” He also added, “Jungle is about to be mature, eh? Very well. Everywhere go blur for them.”

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Keyamo’s latest remarks came shortly after he accused Peter Obi of lying over claims that he was harassed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. During the same television interview, the minister criticised the interviewer for not confronting Obi over the allegation during an earlier interview with the opposition politician. According to Keyamo, CCTV footage from the airport contradicted Obi’s claims that his vehicle was unfairly clamped because of his opposition status. The minister detailed that Obi arrived at the airport’s domestic terminal on July 4, 2026, at about 8:28 p.m. in a vehicle driven by a police officer. He said the driver parked in a designated drop-off zone and left the vehicle unattended for about 30 minutes in a restricted area, in violation of airport regulations. Keyamo maintained that airport workers acted professionally and had no knowledge that the vehicle belonged to Obi when they carried out the enforcement action. He also alleged that when the driver discovered the clamp, Obi spoke with an airport manager and requested the vehicle’s release, which was granted without payment of the prescribed ₦25,000 fine, describing the incident as “influence peddling.” During the interview, Keyamo described Obi’s claims as false, stating, “Then I saw the man was lying. He lies like a fish drinking water. He lies. He lies for fun.” The minister had earlier demanded that the former Anambra State governor apologise to airport personnel and pay the ₦25,000 parking fine, warning that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) could take further action if the demands were ignored.

The Obidient Movement has strongly rejected Keyamo’s account, accusing the minister of releasing “poorly edited propaganda” and manipulating CCTV footage to discredit Obi. The group argued that the timestamps in Keyamo’s own footage show Obi’s vehicle arriving at 20:28 and being clamped at approximately 20:34—six minutes, not thirty. According to the movement, “The timestamps show the vehicle arriving at 20:28 and being clamped at approximately 20:34. That is six minutes, not thirty.” It further alleged that the minister deliberately zoomed in on the seconds display of the CCTV footage in an attempt to create the impression that viewers were looking at the minute counter, describing the exercise as misleading. The group also stated that Keyamo’s own footage contradicted his allegation that Peter Obi’s vehicle blocked the airport terminal entrance, stressing that another vehicle was seen pulling up behind it without any obstruction. It maintained that the video supported Peter Obi’s earlier claim that other vehicles were parked in the same area, alleging that enforcement officers singled out only the opposition leader’s vehicle. Obi’s spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, also challenged Keyamo’s reference to a “police driver,” stating that Peter Obi does not have any police or civil defence personnel attached to him in Abuja. He said the incident contained in Keyamo’s post was not the one Obi narrated publicly, suggesting a pattern of targeting the opposition figure.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Moh Lukman, has warned that continued divisions and personal ambitions among opposition leaders could hand President Tinubu and the APC another electoral victory in 2027. Lukman identified Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as prominent opposition figures whose individual presidential ambitions could weaken efforts to unseat the ruling party. “Lack of unity among the opposition was largely responsible for the electoral victory of APC. The same reality is manifesting itself again with the same two leading opposition personalities emerging as candidates against President Tinubu,” Lukman said. “If truly their objective is about defeating APC and President Tinubu, why are they unable to recognise that once they are divided, it is as good as conceding electoral victory to APC and President Tinubu?”

Where Will Peter Obi’s Votes Come From? I Can’t See It – Keyamo Predicts Tinubu’s Landslide Victory