By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
Barely days after igniting a political firestorm by claiming he is “more popular” than Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in northern Nigeria, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Friday hosted the former Kano State governor at his own Maitama residence in Abuja.
The meeting, which took place shortly after Jumu’ah prayers, was confirmed by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, who said the two opposition leaders exchanged pleasantries and held private discussions.
While details of the talks remain undisclosed, the encounter is widely seen as part of ongoing consultations among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The visit came days after Atiku appeared on ARISE Television, where he dismissed suggestions that Kwankwaso could eclipse him politically in the North. “I remain more popular than Kwankwaso in the North,” the former vice-president said, citing his decades-long political network and cross-regional influence.
That televised remark, however, drew sharp backlash from Kwankwaso’s supporters, who took to social and traditional media to lambast Atiku, describing his outburst as arrogant and politically irrelevant. Some accused him of underestimating Kwankwaso’s grassroots following, particularly in Kano and the northwestern belt.
Against that backdrop of public rancor, Friday’s closed-door meeting at Atiku’s residence has sparked fresh speculation: a peace move, a tactical alliance, or simply a political feint? For now, both camps are keeping their counsel.
