Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has alleged that a viral video showing a man destroying campaign posters bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima was deliberately staged as political propaganda.
The video, which circulated online, shows a man wielding what appears to be a machete while tearing down several posters displayed on a wall. Graphics accompanying the footage carried the message, “Tinubu Must Go.”
Reacting to the video in a post on X on Friday, Keyamo alleged that the man was sponsored by opposition elements to create the impression that the President had lost support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the minister, the fact that the incident was recorded and subsequently circulated indicated that it was planned.
“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,” Keyamo said.
Keyamo further alleged that similar incidents had occurred in other parts of the country and were being presented as evidence of growing public rejection of the President.
He said the incidents were being interpreted as evidence that Nigerians were angry with the administration.
“The interpretation and spin given to these incidents is that the President has been ‘rejected’ by ‘angry’ Nigerians,” he said.
The minister also referenced an incident in Lagos State, where he said individuals were seen using posters of Tinubu to cover those belonging to an opposition party.
While condemning such conduct, Keyamo alleged that some media platforms had described the individuals involved as supporters of the ruling party and used the incident to raise concerns about intimidation and threats to democracy.
He, however, cautioned supporters of the All Progressives Congress against retaliating over the incidents.
“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,” he said.
Keyamo also alleged that the opposition was using the incidents to create a negative perception of the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
“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,” he said.
The minister also referred to recent bye-elections, claiming that opposition parties had recorded defeats in five regions of the country.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
