Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has lashed out at opposition figures challenging the outcome of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) elections, describing their allegations of widespread irregularities as baseless and misleading.
In a statement posted on his X handle @fkeyamo, Keyamo accused opposition leaders of making “futile excuses” to justify their electoral defeat, insisting that Nigerians had clearly expressed their will at the polls. He argued that claims of systemic irregularities were exaggerated and driven by disappointment rather than evidence.
Citing official figures, the minister noted that out of a total of 2,822 polling units in the FCT, the opposition had pointed to result sheets allegedly corrected in fewer than 10 units as proof that the entire election was compromised. Even if the number of affected units were as high as 50, he said, that would still leave more than 2,770 polling units unaffected — a margin he described as overwhelming.
According to Keyamo, in some of the cited cases, the corrected figures reportedly favoured the opposition parties themselves, further weakening their argument that the election was marred by irregularities.
He accused the opposition of using what he termed flawed logic to stoke public anxiety and create what he called “mass hysteria” by suggesting that Nigeria’s democracy was under threat. Such narratives, he warned, risk stirring unnecessary social unrest among citizens.
The minister maintained that the only election the opposition would consider credible, in his view, is one in which the ruling party loses.
He concluded that critics were more invested in propaganda than in the democratic process, asserting that the electorate’s decision should be respected.
