Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday visited former President Muhammadu Buhari in his country home, Daura, Katsina State, barely three days after meeting the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), in their residences in Minna, Niger State
Though details and reason for the visit were not disclosed to journalists, Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the visit as a Sallah homage to the erstwhile president.
He also visited the residence of the former Kaduna State Governor, the late Lawal Kaita, the palaces of the Emirs of Daura and Katsina, Dr. Umar Farouk Umar and Dr. Abdulmumini Kabir Usman.
The former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; former Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Dr. Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa; and former National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Ibrahim Umar Tsauri, were among the personalities on Atiku’s entourage.
Fielding questions from journalists at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport, Katsina, the ex-vice president said he only paid Sallah homage to former President Buhari.
He said: “First of all, I paid Sallah homage to former President Muhammadu Buhari and the Emir of Daura, Dr. Umar Farouk Umar.
“Secondly, I came to Katsina on a condolence visit to the Emir of Katsina over the death of his son, and the wife of the late Lawal Kaita. This is the reason why I came to Katsina.”
Also fielding questions from reporters, Atiku assured the party in the state that the crisis plaguing the state and others would be resolved by the coming state congresses expected to commence next week.
But when asked about the leadership tussle rocking PDP in the state, the former vice president said: “There will soon be congresses. So, people will elect who they want.”
However, Atiku’s visit to Buhari is coming barely three days after he visited former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), in their residences in Minna, Niger State.
The visits have since heightened speculations among political pundits that Atiku is preparing grounds to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Political observers argued that Atiku’s visits to the military heads of state and the immediate past president of the country were part of his moves to form a coalition of Nigerian leaders ahead of the 2027 poll.
Francis Sardauna
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