In attendance at the parley held in Abuja, yesterday, was the presidential candidate of the opposition Action Alliance (AA) in the 2023 poll, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), who served as the Chief Security Officer to General Sani Abacha from 1993 until his death on June 8, 1998.
Though details of the parley were not made known, it is believed that it was part of ongoing moves by opposition politicians to unite under formidable political platforms to achieve their goals.
el-Rufai, once a supporter, but now critic of President Tinubu’s style of governance, did not make the ministerial list after the Senate withheld his confirmation and those of two others, citing security reports from the Department of State Security Service (DSS) last year.
Two others, who did not make the ministerial list at the time were a former Senator from Taraba, Sani Danladi, and a nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.
Confirming the development, a former spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, Segun Showunmi, wrote on his Facebook page about the meeting, stating: “You must set forth at dawn!
“A strategic meeting called by H.E. Shehu Gabam Chairman of SDP with H.E. Nasir El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Otunba Segun Showunmi. The Alternative to meet and greet and review the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.”
The development came against the backdrop of a call by the immediate past All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman, North West, Dr Salihu Lukman, that opposition political leaders, including alienated APC leaders had commenced negotiations towards producing alternative political platform aimed at defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 poll
Lukman, who resigned his membership of the APC last year, had argued that the only way it could be possible was if Nigerians were able to focus themselves towards producing a functional political party that would respect its own rules distinctively different from APC, PDP, LP, NNPP and all the existing registered political parties in the country
