ADC to Keyamo: Don’t Mock Atiku While Hiding Muslim–Muslim Ticket

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected claims that it is afraid to zone its presidential ticket, describing the allegation as false and misleading.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, was reacting to comments made by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who accused the ADC of avoiding zoning because, according to him, the party belongs to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

In a post on X, Keyamo had alleged that the ADC was deliberately silent on zoning its presidential ticket, unlike other major political parties.

He said, “The ADC is scared to clearly ZONE its Presidential ticket, like the other major parties (PDP and APC) have done, because the party belongs to one man called Atiku Abubakar @atiku.Politics

“It is the EXACT corner that Atiku pushed PDP to in 2023 that ADC now finds itself – the inability to zone its Presidential ticket.”

However, responding in a statement, Abdullahi dismissed Keyamo’s position, insisting that it was incorrect and lacked historical honesty.

He argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC), where Keyamo belongs, has repeatedly ignored zoning principles when it suited its political interests.

He recalled several instances where the APC failed to respect zoning arrangements, including the emergence of its presidential candidate in 2014, the contest for Senate President in 2015, and the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2023.

According to him, a party with such a record has no moral right to lecture others on zoning.

Abdullahi explained, “You may be aware (or not) that at the beginning of the controversy over who should be Senate President after the 2015 presidential election, the initial decision by the party leadership was to zone the number three position to the North-central.

“However, when it looked like Dr. Saraki was going to emerge, the ACN bloc, led by Baba Akande and Asiwaju BAT (now President), argued that zoning was a PDP thing and was alien to progressive politics, which they claimed to represent. It was on that basis that they backed Ahmed Lawan from Yobe (North-east).”

He further noted that zoning had already been weakened by the way APC handled its presidential primaries.

“That would not be a baseless argument, considering that the presidential primaries that produced PMB appeared to have been thrown open, irrespective of zoning,” he said.

Abdullahi added that multiple aspirants from different regions contested those primaries, saying, “This was why Rochas Okorocha (4th, 264 votes) was able to contest alongside Buhari, Kwankwaso, Atiku, and Sam Nda-Isaiah. This pattern was repeated in 2023, when the primary election was contested by Ahmad Lawan (NE), Ahmed Sani (NW), Yahaya Bello (NC), alongside southern candidates.”

He also pointed out that zoning decisions within the APC have often been based on political convenience rather than regional balance. “And, like 2019, APC simply zoned to the incumbent in 2027, and not to any region,” he said.

Abdullahi further argued that zoning is not only about geography but also about religion, which he described as crucial to national unity.

“Now, talking about zoning as a mechanism for strengthening national unity, you would agree with me (hopefully) that this also includes religious balancing, which has proved to be even more fundamental to our national cohesion than geographical considerations,” he stated.

He criticised the APC for adopting a same-faith presidential ticket, saying, “Yet, APC put a knife to this fragile rope of national unity when it settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.”

According to him, the decision showed a lack of concern for religious balance. “In doing that, APC showed that they had no time for balancing religious sensibilities as long as, in their calculations, it was a same-faith ticket that would deliver victory,” he said.

He concluded by adding that any future change in that approach would be driven by strategy, not conscience. “And if they change it or keep it in 2027, it would not be because they suddenly suffered a pang of conscience, it would be a matter of political strategy.”