FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation of prominent politicians on a courtesy visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna on Friday.
However, Atiku clarified that the visit was primarily for Sallah celebrations and not for any discussions on the planned coalition of political parties aimed at forming a stronger opposition.
The visit was seen as significant, particularly in the context of the 2027 general elections.
The delegation included former governors of Kaduna and Sokoto states, Nasir El-Rufai and Aminu Tambuwal, among other notable politicians.
Atiku explained that he had been unable to pay visits during the Sallah celebrations due to his commitments in Adamawa State, where he stood in for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa), HRH Dr. Muhammadu Musdafa.
Speaking with journalists, Atiku described the visit as a courtesy call to greet former President Buhari during the Sallah festivities.
“We came here on a courtesy and Sallah greetings visit to President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
When asked about 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 former vice president 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 notable delegates that accompanied Atiku on the visit included former governors Gabriel Suswan (Benue), Muhammad Umar Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), and Achike Udenwa (Imo), among others.
This newspaper observed that the visit has sparked discussions among Nigerians, with many debating its implications on social media.
The visit comes more than 48 hours after the All Progressives Congress governors, led by Senator Hope Uzodimma, paid a similar visit to Buhari.