Vice-President Kashim Shettima has held a closed-door meeting with former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, former Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru and other prominent political figures at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The delegation, which identified itself as leaders of the National Directorate of Arewa for Asiwaju Movement, arrived at the State House at approximately 4 pm on Monday, October 12, 2026, before proceeding to the Vice-President’s office.
At the time of their arrival, Shettima was attending another meeting at the President’s wing of the Villa. The earlier meeting, which reportedly began around 2 pm, included the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, and the Special Adviser to the President and Coordinator of the Presidential Livestock Reform, Professor Attahiru Jega.
Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was among the officials involved in the earlier engagement.
Although the specific purpose of the delegation’s visit was not immediately disclosed, reports indicated that the gathering was a courtesy visit.
Other notable figures seen at the Presidential Villa included former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, the Director-General of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (retd.), and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman.
MEETING COMES AMID APC’S 2027 CAMPAIGN PREPARATIONS
The meeting took place as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) intensified preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Council was scheduled to be inaugurated on Wednesday, October 14, at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
The council’s Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, had earlier announced the inauguration date after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
Yari also disclosed that the APC planned to officially launch its presidential campaign in Kaduna State on October 24, before taking the campaign to Port Harcourt and Maiduguri.
According to him, the complete campaign timetable would be made public following the inauguration of the council.
TINUBU SEEKS RE-ELECTION IN 2027
The political engagements come ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, in which President Tinubu is seeking a second term in office.
With preparations for the election gathering momentum, meetings involving senior party figures, former governors and political stakeholders are taking place as parties organise their campaigns and work towards securing electoral support.
However, no official statement had been issued explaining the specific agenda of Shettima’s meeting with Bello, Badaru and the other members of the delegation as of the time of reporting.
