•Visit sparks fresh 2027 debate I’m not at Obasanjo’s home because of 2027 —Atiku
- I won’t talk about 2027 politics —Obj
THE visit of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, at his Abeokuta residence in Ogun State, on Monday, sparked a fresh round of permutations about the likely character and shades of realignment ahead of the 2027 elections in the country.
Atiku was accompanied during the visit to the two-time Nigerian leader by two former state governors and a member of the National Assembly, Senator Abdul Ningi.
The ex-governors included Liyel Imoke of Cross Rivers State and Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto State, now serving as senator.
Both Obasanjo and Atiku downplayed the issue of politics as the reason for the engagement.
Former President Obasanjo, while responding to journalists’ questions after the meeting, said he had nothing to say.
“Don’t ask me anything. I’m not going to comment on 2027 politics,” he was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to have said.
Nonetheless, the visit by the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election elicited wide reactions with individuals and groups expressing divergent views on the possible political undertones, given the trajectories of Obasanjo and the former vice president.
The X was particularly abuzz with such views as the various users took to their handles arguing over the timing of the visit, coupled with the implications having coincided with frenetic moves by some prominent politicians to forge alliances preparatory to the 2027 elections.
Recall that Atiku was among other leading politicians that converged on Abuja about three weeks ago at a national conference on how to deepen democracy in Nigeria.
In spite of a spirit effort by the former vice president to dissuade Nigerians that the visit had nothing to do with the politics, a lot of people still said the timing is curious and with far implications given the gradual build-up to the next election year in the country.
According to reports, the convoy of the former vice president arrived at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, at exactly 12:36 p.m.
Atiku and his team were received by Chief Oyewole Fasawe, a close associate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who later went into a closed-door meeting upstairs.
The calibre of the visitors fuelled speculations that the discussions might relate to horse trading and calculations for the next political dispensation.
However, Atiku said he was not at the Abeokuta residence of his former boss for anything political, but a courtesy visit to the former president.
The political gladiators went into a closed-door meeting with Obasanjo and the meeting lasted about two hours.
“It is a courtesy visit. I’m not going to talk about 2027 or politics. I’m not here because of 2027,” the former Vice President declared.
It should be recalled that Atiku, equally met Obasanjo in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
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