The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has warned Nigerians against resorting to violence under the guise of protecting their votes during the 2027 general elections.
Keyamo in a statement on X, Tuesday, accused some opposition politicians, including the presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively, of encouraging citizens and thugs to take up weapons and attack others in the name of protecting electoral mandates, while allegedly ensuring the safety of their own children abroad.
According to Keyamo, some politicians who have secured safe accommodation for their children outside the country are encouraging vulnerable Nigerians to engage in potentially deadly confrontations.
“After safely ferrying their children abroad, some unscrupulous politicians are encouraging hapless citizens and thugs to take up weapons to kill one another under the pretext of ‘protecting their votes’. That’s fine,” he said.
Keyamo further recalled a warning by former President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections, which he said he supported and still stands by.
He maintained that Nigerians who resort to self-help by carrying dangerous weapons and attacking others under the pretext of protecting their votes could be lawfully neutralised by security operatives.
“Let me reiterate what late President Buhari said pre-2019 election (which I supported and I still support): when you resort to self-help and you take up dangerous weapons in the guise of ‘protecting your votes’ and you attack anybody, it is lawful and legitimate for law enforcement agents to ‘neutralise’ you or simply ‘put you down’ in the course of their duty,” he stated.
The minister added that the children of politicians encouraging such actions would remain in safe locations abroad while ordinary Nigerians bear the consequences of violence.
“And the children of the politicians will be watching your foolishness from their safe haven somewhere in the world,” he added.
His remarks come amid calls by opposition leaders on Nigerian voters to protect their votes in the forthcoming January 16 presidential election.