Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has blasted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for announcing his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at a time the nation is mourning ex-president Muhammadu Buhari.

Keyamo made this known in a statement on his X account on Wednesday.

His comment comes as Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP presidential candidate at the 2023 election, officially dumped the opposition party on Wednesday.

Keyamo added that it is morally and legally wrong for Atiku to continue to use the Coat of Arms of the Federal Government in his private or political communications when he is no longer a functionary of the Federal Government.

“Your Excellency, @atiku, whilst I acknowledge that it is within your constitutional right to change political parties at any time you may wish, however, releasing your letter of resignation from the PDP during this week of 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. In fact (as the image below shows), you prepared, typed, signed, and delivered that letter the morning after the passing away of the former president was announced. With the greatest respect to you, this clearly demonstrates that your obsession with your perennial presidential ambition knows no sympathy or empathy.

“And since we are on the issue of your letter, it is both morally and legally wrong to continue to use the Coat of Arms of the Federal Government in your private or political communications when you stopped being a functionary of the Federal Government more than 18 years ago. Section 6 of the Flag and Coat of Arms Act, Cap. F30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, makes this an offence.

“Morally, it is also reprehensible to use a symbol suggesting that you are acting on behalf of the authority that symbol represents. It borders on impersonation. Imagine a situation where all former government functionaries continue to use the Coat of Arms of Nigeria in their personal, political, or private communications. There would certainly be confusion everywhere.

“I have a bounden duty both as a Cabinet member and a member of the Inner Bar to protect our laws and constitution. Please, be well guided,” he wrote on X.