Tinubu Must Go’ Poster Video Was Staged – Keyamo Claims

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described a viral video showing the destruction of campaign posters bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima as a planned political stunt.

The video showed a man using what appeared to be a machete to tear down several posters displayed on a wall. The footage also carried the inscription, “Tinubu Must Go.”

Reacting to the development on Friday through his X account, Keyamo alleged that the incident was sponsored by opposition elements and deliberately recorded for circulation on social media.

He said, “Here is a sponsored thug of the opposition brandishing a weapon, destroying the posters of the ruling party somewhere in the country. It is planned as a propaganda stunt because someone deliberately set a camera to record and circulate it.”

The minister further alleged that similar incidents were being deliberately arranged in other parts of the country to create the impression that Tinubu no longer enjoyed public support.

According to him, “Similar, planned stunts are happening in some parts of the country. The interpretation and spin given to these incidents is that the President has been ‘rejected’ by ‘angry’ Nigerians.”

Keyamo also questioned the extent to which the action of one person could be presented as evidence of the position of Nigerians generally. He noted that the individual featured in the video represented only one person among the more than 93 million registered voters in the country.

He added, “Meanwhile, this is just one voter amongst 93,469,008 registered voters in Nigeria. No condemnation, but subtle praise by paid blogs and journalists.”

The minister then compared the incident with another development in Lagos State the previous week, where he said two or three people were seen using Tinubu campaign posters to cover posters belonging to an opposition party.

While describing the Lagos incident as unacceptable, Keyamo alleged that the reaction to it was different because some television programmes and blogs portrayed those involved as supporters of the ruling party attempting to intimidate the opposition.

He said, “Now, flip the script. Last week, two or three persons were seen (without any weapon) using the President’s posters to cover that of an opposition party in Lagos State (not excusable too).”

Keyamo added that some media platforms described the individuals involved as “thugs of the ruling party” and used the incident to raise concerns about intimidation and democracy.

He said, “Some prominent morning programs on TV and paid blogs went to town to brand the guys ‘thugs of the ruling party’ and amplified the videos to high heavens, shouting ‘intimidation’ and ‘democracy’ in danger.”

The minister stressed that his reaction should not be interpreted as an appeal for members of the All Progressives Congress to retaliate against opposition supporters.

He said, “This is not a call on the teeming APC supporters to retaliate in any form, but this should prick the conscience of all men of goodwill.”

Keyamo also accused opposition groups of using incidents involving campaign posters as part of their political strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said, “The script and propaganda tactics of the opposition is clear: make the ruling party look so bad and unelectable as a basis of rejecting their apparent defeat come January, 16, 2027.”

The minister further alleged that opposition parties had suffered defeats in recent bye-elections held across five regions of the country.

He said, “The world should take note of what is happening in Nigeria by a defeated, disorganised, disoriented and confused opposition.”

Keyamo added that, despite what he described as political manoeuvring by opposition parties, they had lost the recent bye-elections.

He said, “Despite these shenanigans, they all lost woefully in bye-elections held in 5 regions of the country about a forthnight ago.”

He also projected that the outcome would be repeated during the 2027 presidential election, saying, “That same defeat awaits them on January 16, 2027.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections.