Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the newly formed political group, the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), saying it cannot be considered a real coalition or merger.
In a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, Keyamo downplayed the importance of ADA, calling it merely an application to form a political party.
His comments come after a group of opposition politicians, under the platform of the Nigerian National Coalition Group (NNCG), announced the formation of ADA and submitted an application to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for official registration.
The application, dated June 19, was reportedly signed by Akin Ricketts, the National Chairman of ADA, and Abdullahi Musa Elayo, the acting National Secretary.
According to reports, the group is backed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai. It is seen as an attempt to unite opposition forces ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, Keyamo disagreed with that view. He said the development was not comparable to the major coalition that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013.
“This is just a simple application for party registration. There is nothing like a ‘coalition’ here,” he said.
He also described the announcement as exaggerated and accused its promoters of trying to create false excitement.
“This is simply psychological warfare against the Nigerian people. It is a weak attempt at building mass support,” he added.
