Keyamo calls Atiku 'a butterfly that thinks it is a bird' ahead of Kaduna APC rally
- Aviation minister Festus Keyamo says Atiku Abubakar is jittery about the APC's Kaduna rally for President Tinubu.
- Keyamo alleges Atiku's camp staged poster-tearing videos and circulated a fake N2.3 trillion rally letter.
- The APC flags off Tinubu's 2027 re-election campaign at Kaduna Township Stadium on Saturday.
Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo has dismissed Atiku Abubakar's chances in 2027, calling the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate "a butterfly that thinks it is a bird."
Keyamo made the remark in a statement posted on his X account on Saturday, titled "Why Atiku Abubakar Is Particularly Jittery About The Kaduna Flag-Off." It came as the All Progressives Congress (APC) held its presidential campaign flag-off for President Bola Tinubu at the Kaduna Township Stadium.
According to Keyamo, Atiku is unsettled by what the minister described as the President's growing political strength in the North. He said Atiku is counting on Northern votes but has little support in the South.
Allegations of staged videos and a fake letter
Keyamo alleged that Atiku's camp films people pulling down the President's campaign posters and posts the videos online. He also said a letter claiming ₦2.3 trillion was set aside for the Kaduna rally is fake.
"The intention is to generate a hoopla that will create a groundswell of public opinion that President Tinubu has been 'massively rejected' in the North," Keyamo said in the statement.
He argued that even a strong showing by Atiku in parts of the North would not be enough, because the Middle Belt and the South would cancel it out. He cited the 2023 election, saying Atiku lost across the North-Central and every Southern state except Osun.
Keyamo also compared Atiku to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who won heavily in the North in 2015. He said Atiku's "corruption-laden past puts him poles apart from a Muhammadu Buhari."
The minister added that, given the mood of the country, the South should be allowed to complete eight years in the presidency.
The claims are allegations. Keyamo did not present evidence in the statement, and Atiku's campaign had not responded publicly as of Saturday afternoon.
What happens next
The Kaduna rally formally opens Tinubu's re-election campaign. How the North votes in 2027 will matter to ordinary Nigerians because the region carries a large share of the country's voting population, and control of the presidency shapes decisions on fuel, food prices and jobs.
Expect more back-and-forth between the APC and Atiku's camp as campaigning picks up.
