Paul Ibe, a spokesman for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has described as sycophancy the criticism of Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo against his principal.
“Where was Keyamo when Atiku Abubakar was in the frontline battling the military and eventually, with other compatriots, able to get them out? Where was he? He is just playing to the gallery. Sycophancy is the end game,” Ibe said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Thursday.
Ibe faulted the claim of impersonation levelled against Atiku by Keyamo over the use of the Nigerian Coat of Arms logo in his correspondences.
“Nobody is impersonating anybody. Atiku Abubakar is a former vice president. That is known. I don’t want to dignify him (Keyamo). He can go to court if he wants to.”
On Wednesday, information filtered in that Atiku dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the African Democratic Alliance (ADC), an opposition coalition to unseat Keyamo’s principal, President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the 2027 general elections.
A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; and a former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, in Katsina for the funeral of former President Muhammadu Buhari, in Katsina State on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Credit: X@Atiku
Atiku, 78, the 2023 PDP presidential candidate, came second in the election won by Tinubu.
Keyamo immediately faulted Atiku’s defection from the PDP to the ADC, but Ibe said Atiku is not too old to run.
“Atiku Abubakar too old? Says who? The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, is 79, and we are modelling our democracy after that of the United States. So, what are we talking about? Is Atiku Abubakar healthy? Is he strong? Does he have any infirmity?” Ibe asked.
On whether the ADC would be the last party of the former vice president, Ibe said, “Mr Atiku Abubakar will determine that. I believe that the coalition offers a great prospect to reclaim and to rebuild Nigeria.”
‘Stop Majoring On Minor’
Ibe cautioned Keyamo not to major on minors, adding that the senior lawyer should face his duty as aviation minister.
“It is unfortunate that Minister Keyamo is majoring on minors, and this gives an indication of how he runs the Ministry of Aviation.
“I believe he has a whole lot on his plate to deal with – issues of infrastructure in our airports, runways, broken toilets in some of the toilets – and he still has time to talk about the resignation of someone in the PDP,” he stated.
He said the Tinubu administration tried to railroad all political parties into one party, and that is akin to a civilian dictatorship.
“In the last two years, we have seen a deterioration of our democratic process. Instruments of state, including and not limited even the anti-corruption agencies, are used to coerce politicians into the APC. This is not what democracy is about; democracy is about people making choices,” he said.
‘Atiku’s Presidential Ambition Valid’
Ibe further stated that Atiku’s presidential ambition remained valid, though he has been trying to get the much-coveted spot in the last three decades.
He said, “There is nothing wrong with ambitions. All of us, as human beings, we all have ambitions. What is wrong is a faulty ambition and Atiku Abubakar does not have a faulty ambition; he has a genuine ambition to improve the lot of Nigerians.
“One thing is that he is not going to resign from politics; he has said that clearly.
“For as long as God engraces him with good health, with strength, with vitality, with the acumen and requisite skill, he will continue to be there to provide whatever he can provide in moving this country forward.”
He said Atiku has a deposit of skills and experience to make a good president.
“Yes, he aspires to be the president because all of the skills, all of the experiences he has acquired all over the years, he believes, and rightfully so, that he can make a difference.
“So, let’s not talk about how long he has run; it is about how well, if given the opportunity.
“Is he the first person who would change parties? No. It is not about Atiku Abubakar but about the situation we have found ourselves,” he said.
