Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed the newly formed All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as unserious, describing it as “a joke” and not a true political coalition.
Reacting via his official X handle on Friday, Keyamo ridiculed the party’s formation, which is being backed by prominent opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai.
“This is just a simple application for party registration. There is nothing like a ‘coalition’ here,” Keyamo stated.
Opposition leaders under the Nigerian National Coalition Group (NNCG) had applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on June 19 to register ADA ahead of the 2027 general elections. The application was signed by ADA’s National Chairman, Akin Ricketts, and pro tem National Secretary, Abdullahi Musa Elayo.
However, Keyamo dismissed the party’s relevance and likened the effort to a failed attempt to replicate the 2013 formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“No recognized existing political party is part of this. If they are thinking of recreating what the APC did in 2013, then this is nothing but a pedestrian joke, a complete mockery of that seismic political coalition that birthed APC,” he wrote.
According to Keyamo, the move is all about generating “unnecessary hype” and engaging in “psychological warfare against Nigerians,” calling it a “disappointing anti-climax” following all the buzz.
“A few individuals exercising their constitutional right to form a new political party cannot be described as a ‘coalition’ or even a ‘merger.’ This is no different from several political associations springing up every day for the same purpose,” he added.
As the 2027 elections approach, the emergence of ADA has stirred conversations across Nigeria’s political landscape, but for now, government insiders like Keyamo are brushing it off as political theatre.
