Keyamo slams NDC’s one-term southern ticket as ‘political 419’ scam
Festus Keyamo
Abdullateef Fowewe
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the National Democratic Coalition (NDC)’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South for just one term, branding it “political 419” – a reference to advance-fee fraud.
In a statement released on Monday, Keyamo described the move as an “audacious attempt to hoodwink Nigerians,” drawing parallels to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2011 pledge to serve only one full term, which he did not honour.
“The decision of NDC to zone its Presidential ticket to the south for JUST ONE TERM (emphasis on ‘one term’) is an audacious attempt to hoodwink Nigerians,” Keyamo wrote.
He questioned the arrangement’s enforceability, asking: “What happens if Peter Obi changes his Party, assuming he wins, or as leader of the NDC he gets the NEC of the Party to reverse the decision, if in the unlikely event he wins?”
Keyamo called it “an insult on the sensibilities of Nigerians,” accusing the opposition of desperation ahead of the 2027 elections.
“It is just a joke taken too far; it is nothing but political 419,” he added.
The remarks reignite Nigeria’s longstanding debates over North-South power rotation in presidential politics, a convention aimed at balancing regional influence but often contested.
Keyamo’s post has sparked polarised reactions online, with supporters defending the NDC strategy as equitable zoning and critics of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) highlighting governance failures under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
