Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has clarified that his visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday was not politically motivated.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Atiku emphasized that the visit was merely a courtesy call and had nothing to do with his political ambitions.
Atiku arrived at Obasanjo’s residence, located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, at exactly 12:37 p.m. He was accompanied by former Governors of Sokoto and Cross River States, Senator Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Liyel Imoke, as well as Bauchi Senator Abdul Ningi.
Upon arrival, the delegation was received by elder statesman Otunba Oyewole Fasawe before proceeding to a private meeting with Obasanjo. The closed-door discussion lasted about an hour and a half.
Emerging from the meeting around 2:17 p.m., Atiku reiterated that the visit had no political undertones and was unrelated to any plans for the 2027 presidential election.
“I am here on a courtesy visit. I am not here to talk politics,” he told reporters. “I was not in Abeokuta to see Obasanjo because of 2027. It is simply a courtesy call.”
Efforts to get Tambuwal to comment on the purpose of the visit were unsuccessful, as he also declined to speak on the matter.