Former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, met with ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Friday, May 23, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to build a strong opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku shared a video of the breakfast meeting via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, captioned:
“Breakfast time at the residence of former Governor of Osun State, Engr Rauf Aregbesola. -AA”
Aregbesola, once a close political associate of President Bola Tinubu, fell out with the President during the lead-up to the 2023 elections. His meeting with Atiku adds a new layer of intrigue to the realignment of political forces ahead of 2027.
Atiku has recently intensified efforts to form a broad-based opposition coalition with the goal of unseating President Tinubu. Earlier in the week, he held talks with former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Following the meeting, El-Rufai confirmed that “serious issues” were discussed, and confidently stated that the coalition would “retire Tinubu to Lagos in 2027.”
This opposition momentum is building just as President Tinubu secured a major boost in his re-election campaign. On Thursday, 22 All Progressives Congress (APC) senators and numerous National Assembly members endorsed him as the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The endorsement took place at the APC National Summit at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, themed “Renewed Hope Agenda: The Journey So Far.” The motion for Tinubu’s adoption was moved by Progressive Governors Forum Chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, and seconded by PGF Vice Chairman, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State. The proposal was unanimously adopted via a voice vote, receiving a standing ovation from summit attendees, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and key APC stakeholders.
This followed a similar endorsement by the APC Northwest faction days earlier, indicating a growing consensus within the ruling party in support of Tinubu’s second-term bid.
