A former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has paid a visit to former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and renowned cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare in Lagos.
El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, disclosed the visit in a tweet yesterday.
“Malam Nasir @elrufai was in Lagos today to visit Ogbeni @raufaregbesola and Pastor Tunde Bakare,” Adekeye wrote.
Credible sources said El-Rufai had notified Buhari about his next political moves.
Daily Trust reports that some of his associates, especially in Kaduna have recently defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a development which heightened speculations that he might decamp to the party.
His latest trip to Lagos has sparked speculations about his political future and possible strategic alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Aregbesola, a former two-term governor of Osun State and a former ally of President Tinubu recently left the APC after a protracted crisis within the party in Osun State.
Bakare, on the other hand, is a known political voice and a former presidential aspirant on the APC platform.
And shortly after his return from Lagos, El-Rufai visited former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in Abuja.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) last night, Atiku said, after tonight’s Iftar (breaking of fast), I received in audience, former Governor of Kaduna State, @elrufai, former Governor of Adamawa, Jibrilla Bindow and Musa Halilu, Dujima Adamawa. Our robust discussions were the dessert of the meal.
Pundits believe that all these permutations are geared towards unseating Tinubu in 2027.
I want opposition coalition, not leaving PDP — Ex- VP
Earlier on Friday, Atiku had reaffirmed his commitment to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dismissing reports suggesting he plans to defect to another political platform.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku clarified that his recent advocacy for a broad opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections is not a signal of his departure from the PDP but a strategic move to unite political forces against the ruling APC.
“We wish to clarify that the so-called news of Atiku defecting to another party is a total fallacy that holds no merit in logic,” the statement read.
Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, has been at the forefront of calls for a unified opposition to challenge the APC’s grip on power in the next general election.
“Atiku is advocating a robust coalition that would accommodate all opposition parties, the PDP inclusive,” the statement said.
The former vice president believes that only a united front can effectively challenge the APC, which he accuses of inflicting economic hardship and governance failures on Nigerians.
The statement strongly refuted claims that Atiku was planning to leave the PDP, calling such speculation baseless and misleading.
“It is fallacious and unfounded to allege that the Waziri is jumping the PDP ship. Such an allegation is antithetical to the objective of the grand coalition, which the former Vice President is currently driving alongside other prominent political leaders in the country,” the statement said.
