2027: IBB meets Atiku, Makinde

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, were at the Uphill Mansion of the former Military President, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (retd) on Tuesday, in a move believed to be connected to the 2027 general election.

Atiku, who left the Peoples Democratic Party for the African Democratic Congress, arrived at the IBB residence earlier with his entourage, including Senator Ben Obi and Alhaji Kashim Imam.

Makinde came more than an hour later and was ushered into the palatial mansion.

The governor, however, did not come out with Atiku after his closed-door meeting with the former military president.

The two fell out before the 2023 election, following the emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate of the PDP.

Makinde, alongside four other governors at the time, Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), forming a coalition termed G5, kicked against Atiku’s candidacy alongside a national chairman of the party from the North.

Speaking after the Minna visit to IBB, Atiku described the ruling All Progressives Congress as a “party of forgers and riggers.”

Commenting on the controversy surrounding the recently gazetted Tax Laws, Atiku said, “What do you expect? APC generally is a party of forgers and riggers.

“They have forged everything. They forge certificates, they forge age limits, they forge everything. So, that is the hallmark of APC.”

He also condemned the Electoral Act amendment as done by the Senate, saying that what Nigerians expected was real-time transmission of results of elections at the various levels, instead of a mixture of electronic and manual transmission.

He said the ADC had no zoning arrangement ahead of 2027, adding that the party was busy mobilising members to register.

“The ADC does not have zoning in its constitution. The only party that has zoning in its constitution is the Peoples Democratic Party,” he added.

Makinde, who later came out of his meeting with IBB, described his visit as private and declined to comment.