Rita Odafe
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, recently visited Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), at his Abuja residence.
This meeting occurred shortly after El-Rufai’s trip to see ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, sparking discussions about his political alliances and aspirations.
Despite his prominent role in the All Progressives Congress (APC), El-Rufai’s recent engagements with members of different opposition parties have attracted widespread interest from political observers and the public.
In another notable encounter in March, El-Rufai visited the national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abuja, hinting at a potential reexamination of his political loyalties.
Earlier in the year, El-Rufai faced a setback when he was not appointed to a ministerial position in President Bola Tinubu’s government, allegedly due to a security clearance issue with the Senate.
Following this exclusion, El-Rufai briefly traveled abroad and took a break from the political scene.
His recent return to Nigeria, along with public appearances like the visit to the SDP’s national secretariat, has reignited conversations about his future contributions to Nigerian politics.
Reacting to these events, former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani suggested that El-Rufai’s interactions, as well as those of other northern politicians with Buhari, may be part of a broader strategy to prepare for the 2027 elections, potentially signaling challenges to President Tinubu’s administration.
