Aviation minister and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Festus Keyamo, has downplayed the strategy deployed by the African Democratic Congress coalition as fraudulent and expired, noting Nigerians would not be deceived in 2027.

‘“The format the ADC coalition is using is called 419 tactics, and it is expired,” said Mr Keyamo in an interview aired on Channels TV on Sunday. “We know them and they also know us. Nigerians know those formats already; you can’t use the formats to deceive them.”

Mr Keyamo accused the opposition of reeling out isolated indices and figures, saying the ruling APC remained unruffled by the coalition’s growing popularity.

“All these tactics of price comparison are old. If it is about prices, have prices been stable since 1960? They say they are getting stronger; is APC getting weaker? No wonder the president called them a coalition of confused people,” the minister added.

The politician boasted that policies implemented by the Bola Tinubu-led administration have resulted in more job opportunities, reduced inflation rates and increased government revenues.

“The real question going forward is whether we have gotten microeconomics right. It is macroeconomics that would now lead to more jobs. The inflation rate has been coming down. The naira has been steady. Foreign reserves are rising. Government revenues are rising. 

“These are indices of a healthy economy. It would now begin to trickle down, the trickle-down effect that would finally free up spaces for more employment and put money in the pockets of Nigerians,” Mr Keyamo claimed.

The minister said the opposition arrowhead, Peter Obi, lacks the political capital to penetrate northern Nigeria and garner votes like the incumbent, despite the opposition’s effort to make the ruling APC work harder.

“If you put Peter Obi this time as president, he cannot penetrate the north. We have our structures in the north. We have governors and our structures in the north.

“They are going nowhere in terms of demography. I like what is happening; they are putting us on our toes; it is going to make us work harder, but the numbers are not looking good for them,” Mr Keyamo noted.

Opposition members, including Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Mr Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai, adopted ADC to oust Mr Tinubu in 2027. They accused his administration of monumental mismanagement and high cost of living.

On Saturday, Mr El-Rufai described the Tinubu-led administration as clannish and incompetent, saying it would destroy Nigeria if allowed a second term.