Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, visited former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and Pastor Tunde Bakare in Lagos on Sunday.
Photographs of the Kaduna politician posing with Aregbesola and Bakare quickly went viral on social media.
While the details of El-Rufai’s discussions with the two politicians remain undisclosed, it is widely believed that these visits are part of his political manoeuvring in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
Recently, El-Rufai has been highly critical of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu. The Kaduna politician blamed Tinubu for his rejection during the ministerial screening by the National Assembly.
Aregbesola, a former ally of Tinubu, recently left the APC along with his supporters in Osun State.
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Bakare, who lost the APC presidential ticket to Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election, has also been vocal in his criticism of the current government.
In recent times, El-Rufai, a senior figure in the ruling APC, has been seen associating with opposition politicians, including Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
El-Rufai’s visit to Aregbesola and Bakare was confirmed by Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media adviser, in a tweet on Sunday.
“Malam Nasir @elrufai was in Lagos today to visit Ogbeni @raufaregbesola and Pastor Tunde Bakare,” Adekeye wrote.
This meeting follows El-Rufai’s recent visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna.
The former Kaduna governor’s visit to Lagos has sparked fresh discussions about his political future and potential strategic alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, recently made headlines when he granted an interview on Arise Television, where he accused Tinubu of deliberately excluding him from the list of ministerial nominees.
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He also criticised the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for allegedly undermining the North in relation to Ribadu’s purported 2031 presidential ambition.
In the interview, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory hinted at leaving the APC, claiming that the party had already abandoned him.
When asked if he would support the President’s re-election bid in 2027, the Kaduna politician sidestepped the question, stating that he wasn’t even sure if he would still be in the APC by then.
