Coalition: Belonging to two political parties is constitutionally wrong— Keyamo tells Atiku, Obi, others

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has stated that it is constitutionally unlawful for individuals to operate within two political parties simultaneously.

Keyamo stated this while responding to the opposition coalition’s adoption of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the 2027 general elections.

According to him, open alignment with the ADC by leading opposition figures, many of whom are still officially members of other parties, amounts to a breach of electoral law. 

He noted that such dual affiliation could serve as a basis for disqualification from contesting future elections.

He maintained that the public declaration by members of the coalition effectively signified the abandonment of their former political affiliations, insisting that political actors must align themselves clearly with a single party to avoid legal consequences.

Keyamo described the formation of the coalition as a sign of internal collapse within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that the party’s older faction had been displaced by younger elements.

He further stated that the ADC’s new coalition comprises mostly former PDP chieftains and a few APC members who, according to him, had either undermined the ruling party in the last election or failed to deliver their constituencies. 

He argued that their exit posed no threat to the APC, describing the development as a cleansing of internal disloyalty within the party.

He said, “By law, you cannot operate from, or belong to, two or multiple political parties, so it is safe to say that their open declaration for ADC today is a clear abandonment of their previous parties. In fact, belonging to two political parties is a ground for disqualification in an election. 

“Therefore, the emergence of ADC as presently constituted marks the formal dismemberment of the PDP, hitherto Nigeria’s strongest opposition Party. Majority of the old guard in the PDP (who have apparently lost control of the Party) have been pushed out of the party by the Younger Turks within the PDP. 

“That is why the gathering today was a conglomerate of ‘former this’ and ‘former that’ of the PDP. No matter how you look at it, this is just Atiku’s faction of PDP in desperate search for the 2027 Presidential ticket – nothing more, nothing less.”

Tribune Online reports that the opposition coalition had on Tuesday formalised its adoption of the ADC at a high-level meeting in Abuja, where former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola were named interim National Chairman and Secretary, respectively.

The platform brings together key opposition figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governors Nasir El-Rufai, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi, among others, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

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