The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), says the former vice-president Atiku Abubakar is struggling to accept President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergence as president after years of pursuing the nation’s top office.
Keyamo has accused the former Vice-President of harbouring bitterness over Tinubu’s emergence as Nigeria’s president, attributing the former presidential candidate’s recent criticisms of the administration to political disappointment.
Keyamo made the remarks in a statement on his X handle in which he compared the political trajectories of Tinubu and Atiku, arguing that the president’s eventual emergence as Nigeria’s leader, after years of political rivalry and competition, had become a source of frustration for the former vice-president.
The minister alleged that Atiku was finding it difficult to come to terms with Tinubu’s victory in the contest for the presidency, describing his recent attacks on the president as expressions of resentment disguised as opposition politics.
Keyamo went further to characterise Atiku’s perceived emotional state using the term “agitated depression”, suggesting that the former vice-president needed mental health support. However, he provided no medical evidence to substantiate the claim.
Recounting the political histories of both men, Keyamo noted that Tinubu was governor of Lagos State while Atiku served as vice-president, a period when the latter was widely regarded as having a strong position in the contest for national leadership.
He said both politicians had pursued presidential ambitions since leaving their respective offices in 2007, sometimes working together politically and at other times taking opposing positions, with each seeking to occupy the nation’s highest political office.
According to Keyamo, Tinubu’s eventual victory in the 2023 presidential election, on his first successful attempt at securing the presidency, contrasted with Atiku’s repeated bids for the office dating back to 1993.
The minister attributed the outcome to a combination of political strategy, circumstances and divine intervention, maintaining that Tinubu’s emergence demonstrated that political calculations and previous advantages did not necessarily determine who would eventually become president.
He invoked the biblical principle that success does not always depend on strength, speed or skill, citing Ecclesiastes 9:11 to reinforce his argument that circumstances and timing could determine political outcomes.
Keyamo also warned that Atiku’s recent political rhetoric could undermine his appeal among voters, arguing that the former vice-president risked losing support rather than attracting new followers through his criticisms of the president.
He urged those around Atiku to respond to the situation with concern rather than encourage further confrontation, reiterating his belief that the former vice-president needed support at what he described as a difficult period.
The minister concluded by suggesting that Atiku’s political influence was declining, portraying Tinubu’s presidency as the outcome of a long political contest in which the former vice-president had failed to achieve his ultimate ambition.
Keyamo’s comments add to the increasingly combative exchanges between figures aligned with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition politicians as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election.
However, the minister’s assertions about Atiku’s mental health remain unsubstantiated allegations rather than an established medical assessment.
