It was supposed to be just another meeting. Yet in Nigeria’s volatile political landscape, every handshake has the power to shift alliances—and this one might be one of the biggest.
On the evening of September 20, 2025, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid a “solidarity visit” to ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Officially, it was in response to the alleged attack by “APC-sponsored thugs” at ADC inauguration in Kaduna. But the subtext— carefully leaked to the press — suggests something far heavier: a plotted alliance, a clarion call for unified opposition, and an unapologetic formula to counter what both men now openly describe as creeping authoritarianism under President Tinubu.
In a country where power is often won in smoke-filled rooms, this meeting is not accidental. It comes at a time when dissatisfaction with economic hardship, insecurity, and perceived overreach from the centre is fuelling popular demand for change.
Whether this alliance becomes a movement, or just another rumor, depends not only on the words spoken but on what follows: commitments, strategy, risk.
What Atiku Says Happened
Atiku stated that his visit was partly in response to the attack against El-Rufai and others during an ADC inauguration in Kaduna. He blamed the violence on “APC-sponsored thuggery.”
He described the current APC administration under Tinubu as having drifted toward authoritarianism, saying it has “turned into a full-blown dictatorship.”
Atiku and El-Rufai reportedly resolved to combine their strengths and form a united front to “rescue Nigeria.”
El-Rufai echoed concerns about the centralization of power and warned that if unchecked, Tinubu’s administration could try to perpetuate itself in office beyond democratic norms.
Democracy’s Moment or Opposition’s Mirage?
The biggest danger here isn’t opposition failure—it’s opposition illusion. It’s easy to meet publicly, post photos, sign statements. The harder test is whether fear of retaliatory power, money for loyalties, and internal rivalry can be overcome.
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For Atiku & El-Rufai, the challenge is: can they deliver unity, trust, coherence—not just in speeches, but in operations? Can they hold each other accountable? Can they avoid replicating the worst of partisan politics while trying to dismantle what they see as authoritarian drift?
What Nigerians need isn’t just an opposition that complains—it’s one that collaborates, that proposes alternatives, that shows up with policy, with ethics, with courage.
