‘Shameful Timing’ – Keyamo Slams Atiku for Quitting PDP During Buhari’s National Mourning Week
🗓️ 17 July 2025
🖋️ Byline: IDNN Political Desk
Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, has harshly criticised former vice president Atiku Abubakar over the timing of his resignation from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying it was a calculated attempt to hijack public attention during the national mourning period for former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Keyamo, a senior member of the ruling APC and longtime political opponent of Atiku, issued the statement via his verified X handle (formerly Twitter), where he accused the ex-VP of “opportunistic insensitivity.”
“Atiku picked the very week Nigeria was burying one of her leaders to make his grand political exit. That tells you all you need to know,” Keyamo wrote.
Politicking During Mourning?
Buhari, who died last week in Daura at the age of 82, was buried amidst nationwide tributes and a seven-day period of symbolic mourning observed across several northern states.
Keyamo argued that Atiku’s announcement of his departure from PDP on the third day of Buhari’s final burial rites was a strategic distraction that “disrespected the solemn mood of the nation.”
“It was as if he waited for cameras to turn towards Buhari’s grave, then chose that moment to steal the spotlight. Distasteful,” Keyamo said.
Atiku’s Camp Responds: ‘No Better Time Than Now’
Sources close to Atiku dismissed Keyamo’s claims, insisting that the timing was “purely coincidental” and that Atiku had been deliberating his exit for months.
A senior aide told IDNN:
“Atiku respects Buhari as a former president. But Nigeria’s democracy cannot be paused every time the APC wants silence.”
Political Fallout Intensifies
Keyamo’s remarks reflect wider discontent within the APC about Atiku’s rising alignment with the Obidient Movement and ADC, which could pose a threat in 2027.
Observers say Keyamo’s reaction is part of a pre-emptive strategy to brand Atiku as desperate and self-centered, ahead of possible realignment talks across party lines.
“This is APC trying to frame Atiku’s coalition as built on disrespect,” said political analyst Dr. Hassan Al-Mustapha.
“But the real story is that they’re rattled.”
Legacy Politics and Public Perception
The controversy underscores how national figures’ legacies — dead or alive — are now intertwined with power narratives.
Keyamo, who served as Buhari’s campaign spokesperson in 2019, is widely seen as one of the late president’s fiercest defenders.
“This wasn’t about Buhari,” one PDP strategist told IDNN.
“It was about control of the next political narrative.”
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