As 2027 politics draws closer, four times presidential candidate aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has intensified consultations with ex-presidents and Northern leaders.
The former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had called for opposition political parties to unite as a force to kick off the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Atiku said the ruling APC since assumption of office in 2015 brought woes and pains to Nigeria.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) paid a visit to two former presidents. On June 19, Wednesday, Atiku paid visits to General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, two former military head of state of Nigeria.
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Atiku said his visits to the two former presidents – who are known as power brokers in Nigeria politics – were to pay Salah homage. “I paid Sallah homage to former Heads of State Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) and Gen. Abdusalami at their residences in Minna, Niger State,” the former vice president disclosed on his X handle.
In his latest move, Atiku on Saturday, June 22, paid a visit to the immediate former president, Muhammadu Buhari, in his Daura home, in Katsina. His visit to Buhari has raised questions about his moves and intensified political consultations. He, however, said his visit to Buhari was merely Salah homage. “Accompanied by some stakeholders of our great party, the PDP, we visited the Daura residence of former President Muhammadu Buhari to pay a courtesy call and offer Sallah homage.”
Recall that Atiku hails and performed his Sallah in Adamawa, a North East state; while Buhari hails and performed his Sallah in Katsina, a North West state. Travelling by road, the journey would take approximately 8 hours.
The former vice president defected from the PDP to the APC in the build up to the 2015 election and was also instrumental in Buhari’s presidential victory in 2015. However, the two – Buhari and Atiku – contested against each other in 2019 election.
While in Katsina, Atiku also paid visit to a Northern political stakeholder, Alhaji Lawal Kaita; Emir of Daura, Alhaji Farouk; the Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Umar Radda; and the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Kabir Usman.
Atiku had also held meetings with the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi. On BBC Hausa, the PDP chieftain said he would step down and not contest the 2027 election if his party zones the presidential position to the South East where Peter Obi hails from.
On his part, Obi had said he would accept any merger with Atiku and other politicians that would guarantee good governance for Nigeria citizens.
