COPDEM blasts Keyamo: Obi’s 2023 votes were not accidental, North will still shock Tinubu

DDM News

The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM) has fired back at Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, over what it described as a “deliberate distortion of political reality” regarding Peter Obi’s influence and the growing strength of the new opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 elections.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Keyamo, while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics programme, claimed that Peter Obi cannot penetrate the North, that the ADC-led coalition is going nowhere, and that Obi’s 2023 votes were the result of temporary demographics that would collapse under a merger with Atiku Abubakar.

In a strongly worded response released Monday by the COPDEM National Media Team, the group accused Keyamo of “wishful thinking and nervous projection,” stating that “Tinubu’s camp knows what’s coming, and they are panicking already.”

“Let it be clear: Peter Obi didn’t ride on religious sentiment, ethnic bias, or youthful anger,” the statement said.

“He rode on performance, integrity, and a vision that resonated across Nigeria, including in the North.”

COPDEM reminded Keyamo that Peter Obi won in key Northern areas without political structures, state governors, or billion-naira campaigns, yet still pulled over 6 million votes with the Labour Party, a platform many dismissed as “structureless.”

“Obi beat both Atiku and Tinubu in Abuja. He defeated APC in Nasarawa.

“He polled high numbers in Taraba, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, and parts of Bauchi. Was that demographics too?” the team asked.

On Keyamo’s claim that Obi cannot penetrate the North in 2027, COPDEM said such thinking ignores the growing anger in the North over insecurity, economic collapse, food inflation, and mass poverty, all of which have worsened under Tinubu’s government.

“What Tinubu calls ‘structures’ in the North are now liabilities,” COPDEM declared.

“Structures that cannot protect lives, cannot provide jobs, cannot feed the people, and cannot offer electricity are not political assets, they are vote-killers.”

The team also dismissed Keyamo’s talk of religion and ethnicity as “old, expired political tools” that failed in 2023 and will fail even harder in 2027.

“If religion and tribe were decisive, why did Obi defeat candidates from dominant Muslim regions in areas where Christians are minorities?” COPDEM asked.

“Obi’s appeal in the North grew because of his character, not his church.”

Regarding the new opposition coalition under ADC, COPDEM stated that the merger has put the ruling party in a state of silent panic, noting that combined Obi-Atiku votes in 2023 already surpassed Tinubu’s declared total by over four million.

“With the ADC platform now uniting top figures like Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai, Amaechi, Aregbesola, David Mark and many others, Tinubu’s second-term dream just became a nightmare,” the team said.

COPDEM urged Nigerians not to be distracted by propaganda from Tinubu’s ministers, adding that 2027 will not be decided by media spin but by hunger, fuel price, insecurity, and broken promises.

“Keyamo should face aviation safety, not play prophet on politics,” the statement concluded.

“The North knows who failed them, and they’re ready to vote differently.”

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