On Friday, President Bola Tinubu met face-to-face with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, his political rival and formidable challenger in the 2023 presidential election.
This significant encounter took place at the National Mosque in Abuja, marking a notable moment in their complex political relationship.
The two former allies had not met in person for nearly 20 months since the highly contested elections that Tinubu won, a victory that Atiku and fellow candidate Peter Obi have since sought to challenge through the courts.
Their last direct interaction had been overshadowed by a contentious electoral atmosphere that saw deep divisions emerge between their supporters.
This Friday, October 25, 2024, Tinubu and Atiku came together for the Friday Juma’at prayer—an important weekly congregation for Muslims—and also attended the wedding fatiha (a traditional Islamic marriage ceremony) of a daughter of Danjuma Goje, a prominent political figure and former governor of Gombe State, who is currently serving as the Senator for Gombe Central.
The event provided a backdrop for the two political figures to engage amidst a gathering of notable personalities and political allies.
The circumstances of their meeting were significant, reflecting both a return to a semblance of political civility and the ongoing evolution of their interactions in the complex landscape of Nigerian politics.
