“We should all pity Atiku Abubakar rather than goad him on. Those close to him should actually administer anti-depressants on him. Rather than win supporters, he will lose most intelligent ones by his recent posturing” – Minister
By Chucks Nwonye
ABUJA — Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has launched a scathing attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alleging that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain is suffering from a form of depression occasioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergence as President.
In a lengthy post on his verified X handle @fkeyamo on Friday, Keyamo described Atiku as “a pained and very bitter fellow” who has been unable to come to terms with the fact that Tinubu outsmarted him politically to clinch the presidency.
The Minister’s statement, titled “Atiku suffering from Agitated Depression,” comes amid sustained criticisms of the Tinubu administration by the former Vice President, who was the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election.
“It is now very obvious that Atiku Abubakar @atiku is a pained and very bitter fellow. The pain and bitterness stems from the fact that he feels President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT finally outsmarted him politically to get the most coveted position of President and he can’t mentally deal with this fact,” Keyamo wrote.
“What we are witnessing with all his recent tantrums against Mr. President, veiled as opposition heroics, is actually a higher form of DEPRESSION in the field of mental health called AGITATED DEPRESSION,” he added.
Keyamo traced the political trajectory of both men, noting that Tinubu was Governor of Lagos State at a time when Atiku was Vice President of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, and was at that time regarded as politically ahead of Tinubu in the pecking order of those who aspired to be President.
He recalled their intertwined political journeys after both left office in 2007, with both men sometimes in alliance and sometimes in opposition, but with their eyes fixed on the ultimate prize of the presidency.
“Recall that President Bola Tinubu was Governor of Lagos State at a time when he was Vice-President of Nigeria and was generally regarded as politically ahead of President Tinubu in the pecking order of those who aspired to be President,” Keyamo stated.
“This is not a forum to restate the political journey these two eminent politicians embarked upon when both left their offices as Vice President and Governor in 2007, both in union sometimes and in disunion some other times, with both of their eyes fixed on the ultimate prize.”
According to the Minister, Atiku’s current frustration stems from the fact that Tinubu eventually won the presidency on his first attempt, while Atiku has contested since 1993 without success.
“However, through a combination of fate, luck, divine interventions and political dexterity, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally clinched the Presidency AT THE FIRST TRY as against his never-ending ambition since 1993. Here lies his pain, anger, despair and depression,” Keyamo said.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who served as spokesperson for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in 2023, invoked religion to defend Tinubu’s victory, arguing that power is divinely ordained.
“But let me remind Atiku Abubakar that, despite all the invectives he has poured on the President of late, power is given only by God Almighty, not by man. My most favourite Bible verse since I was 10 years old is actually Ecclesiastic 9:11 which states: ‘I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all,'” he quoted.
Keyamo further called for pity for Atiku rather than condemnation, suggesting that those close to him should intervene medically and that his current political posture is counterproductive.
“We should all pity Atiku Abubakar rather than goad him on. Those close to him should actually administer anti-depressants on him. Rather than win supporters, he will lose most intelligent ones by his recent posturing,” he said.
He concluded by saying, “Atiku Abubakar urgently needs mental health support at this critical time as he finally peters out into political oblivion.”
As at the time of filing this report, Atiku Abubakar and his media team had not issued a formal response to Keyamo’s comments.
The exchange marks the latest in a series of war of words between loyalists of President Tinubu and the former Vice President, who has been vocal in his criticism of the administration’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification.