Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation of prominent politicians to pay a courtesy visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna residence on Friday.
However, Atiku stated that the visit was solely for Sallah celebrations and did not include any conversations about the planned political party coalition aimed at establishing a stronger opposition.
The visit was seen as noteworthy, particularly in the context of the 2027 national elections.
Among the delegation were former governors of Kaduna and Sokoto states, Nasir El-Rufai and Aminu Tambuwal, as well as other prominent politicians.
Atiku claimed that he had been unable to pay visits during the Sallah celebrations due to his duties in Adamawa State, where he stepped in for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa), HRH Dr. Muhammadu Musdafa.
Speaking to journalists, Atiku described his visit as a courtesy call to former President Buhari during the Sallah festivities.
“We came here on a courtesy and Sallah greetings visit to President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
Speaking on plans to form a major opposition party, Atiku acknowledged ongoing discussions but made it clear that this was not the purpose of the visit.
“There is a plan for the major political parties to come together and form a strong opposition, but it is not part of this visit,” Atiku stated.
The PDP chieftain had earlier taken to his verified social media handles to announce the visit, describing it as a “wonderful time” with former President Buhari.
He wrote, “As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations. Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023. It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour.”
Other political colossi that accompanied Atiku on the visit included former governors Gabriel Suswan (Benue), Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), and Achike Udenwa (Imo), among others.
