Despite the buzz generated by his trip to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) headquarters where he met with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has continued his meeting with key opposition figures.
In one of the videos of the visit, someone was heard telling the photographer not to upload the photos and video on the internet, but El-Rufai responded, saying, “Let them upload it; I don’t care.”
On Friday, pictures of El-Rufai meeting with Senator Abdul Ningi circulated on social media.
These moves is said to to rattling the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his inner circles who knows the disruptive role El-Rufai can play in the run-up to the 2027 Presidential election especially in Northern Nigeria.
Ningi has been in the news since he granted an interview where he said the 2027 budget was padded with N3.7 trillion.
The senate had suspended him for three months over the controversial remark, which he defended.
When he hosted Senators on Thursday night, President Tinubu had taken a swipe at Ningi, saying those alleging that the budget was padded do not know the arithmetic of the budget.
Ningi, a key member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), exchanged pleasantries with El-Rufai, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and they had some discussions.
El-Rufai’s move has fueled suspicion about 2027 Presidency but Muyiwa Adekeye, his Spokesperson, said it has nothing to do with politics.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was on his way to securing a Ministerial appointment in the government of Tinubu but he was dropped in the dying minute.
Although Tinubu nominated him and he was screened by the Senate, the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly failed to confirm him, citing a security report.
Subsequently, the former Minister went abroad and literarily withdrew from politics temporarily.
Below are pictures of the visit to Ningi:
First published in Daily Trust