Heaven won’t fall if Atiku is missing from 2027 ballot – Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Nigeria will not suffer any major consequence if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is absent from the ballot for the 2027 presidential election.

The minister spoke on Friday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.

He was responding to questions about his earlier comment that heaven would not fall if Atiku did not appear on the ballot in 2027, amid the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

“Not having Atiku on the ballot in 2027 should not be presented as a threat to the country’s democracy,” Keyamo said.

Keyamo recalled that the APC had faced a similar situation in Zamfara when the court removed its elected governor, deputy governor, senators and members of the National and State Assemblies.

He said the party accepted the court’s decision without suggesting that the country would collapse.

“Heaven did not fall when the same court sacked all our candidates in Zamfara a few years ago. Not just candidates who had won elections. The governor, the deputy governor, all members of the House of Assembly, all the senators and all members of the House of Representatives. I’m talking from top to bottom. They were all sacked,” he said.

“Why should similar court decisions involving opposition parties now be described as political interference? The judiciary should be allowed to handle complaints brought before it,” he said.

The minister maintained that the court was responding to complaints by some ADC members who claimed they had been denied their rights during the party’s leadership crisis.

According to him, the grievances of those who alleged they were displaced should not be ignored simply because prominent politicians such as Atiku and former Senate President David Mark were involved in the dispute.

Keyamo also denied claims that President Bola Tinubu was responsible for the crisis in the ADC, saying the President had no role in the party’s internal affairs.

“APC has no responsibility to help opposition parties resolve their internal disagreements. The more they are in disarray, the better for us. We will simply watch from a distance and will not have a hand in it,” Keyamo said.

On the APC’s position ahead of the 2027 election, Keyamo said the ruling party would prefer Atiku and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to contest separately rather than allow opposition politicians to unite behind one candidate.

“It is in our interest that Atiku Abubakar and Obi run, so that all opposition will not gather under one umbrella,” he said.

He urged opposition politicians to present their grievances before the courts and allow the judiciary to determine the disputes without pressure.