- Festus Keyamo clarified that his 2017 remarks about the All Progressives Congress were taken out of context, sharing an unedited clip online
- He stated that no political party, including the Peoples Democratic Party, could credibly claim to be made up of saints
- Keyamo reaffirmed that the APC remained Nigeria’s best hope and praised Bola Ahmed Tinubu for not aligning with the PDP during its 16 years in power
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not made up of saints, but insisted it remains a better alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Keyamo made the remarks in a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, accompanied by a video clip of an interview he granted to a blog in 2017. According to the minister, his earlier comments had recently been taken out of context, with a portion of his statement edited out.
“This is the unedited part of the interview I granted a blog in 2017 (nine years ago) emphasising that APC may not be a Party of saints (which, I repeat, is a matter of fact), BUT it is still far better than where we were coming from. Some characters edited the last part of my statement out of it,” he wrote.
Reiterating his position, Keyamo stated that no political party could credibly claim moral perfection.
“And today, I repeat it again, I will be a fool to say APC is a Party of saints. And anyone who declares any Party to which he/she belongs as a Party of saints will also be a fool,” he added.
The minister, who has been a prominent voice within the ruling party, stressed that while flaws exist within every political organisation, he believes the APC offers greater prospects for Nigeria than the PDP, which governed the country for 16 years prior to 2015.
“But, on the balance, the APC still holds the best hope for the country and we cannot return to the era of PDP where you had some of the characters who are running for President today,” he said.
Keyamo also referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that he did not align with the PDP during its years in power.
“It was only Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT that never hopped onto that battered train of PDP at that time,” he added.
The remarks come amid renewed political debate and alignments ahead of future electoral contests, with party loyalties and past affiliations once again under public scrutiny.