Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has strongly criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for announcing his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the national mourning of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, Keyamo said Atiku’s timing was insensitive and self-serving. He accused the former PDP presidential candidate of using the moment to draw public attention to himself instead of respecting the solemn mood of the country.
“Releasing your letter of resignation from the PDP during the mourning of our immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, is clearly an attempt to draw the spotlight away from such a solemn occasion and direct it on yourself,” Keyamo wrote.
“Atiku typed, signed, and delivered that letter the morning after Buhari’s death was announced. That shows your obsession with presidential ambition knows no sympathy or empathy,” he added.
Keyamo, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), further accused Atiku of wrongly using the Nigerian Coat of Arms in his resignation letter. He said it is both illegal and misleading for someone who has not held public office in nearly two decades to use official government symbols in private or political matters.
According to him, Section 6 of the Flag and Coat of Arms Act, Cap. F30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, forbids such use.
“Morally, it is wrong and borders on impersonation. Imagine if every former official kept using the Coat of Arms — there would be confusion everywhere,” Keyamo said.
Atiku Abubakar, who served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, officially resigned from the PDP on July 14, saying the party had lost its founding values. His move has sparked both political reactions and public debates across the country.