Femi Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, revealed that Buhari was initially unwilling to congratulate Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara after they controversially became Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015.

Adesina shared this in a tribute to Buhari, reflecting on his early experience as the president’s media aide and the difficulty of balancing loyalty with professional duty.

He explained that the incident happened just nine days after he took up the role of presidential spokesman.

According to Adesina, Saraki and Dogara emerged as leaders of the National Assembly against the preference of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Although their emergence was viewed as defiant, it still adhered to constitutional norms.

“I told the President we needed to congratulate them. He balked. But I stood my ground. He said no, I also said no. I said it would portray him as undemocratic,” Adesina wrote.

He noted that Buhari later agreed to issue the statement, making only a small addition to the final version.

“At the end of the day, he reasoned with me and the statement was written, with him just adding one word,” he stated.

“Keeping to his word is part of the famed integrity. Argue with me. If you have a better point, I’ll agree with you.”

Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation International, has said that “everyone is afraid” of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.

He made this remark while giving reasons for leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Momodu also confirmed that he would be backing Atiku in the 2027 presidential election.

During an appearance on Channels TV on Thursday, Momodu stated that his endorsement of Atiku stems from a strategic understanding of Nigeria’s political dynamics.

He said: “Everybody is afraid of Atiku, and that is exactly why I, Dele Momodu, support him.

“The fear the ruling party has for him shows he remains the most formidable opposition figure today.

“When everyone is trying to discredit or silence a man, it means he’s the one they truly fear.”

Momodu previously ran for president in 2011 and took part in the PDP presidential primaries in 2022.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated that the party is working on strategies to bring Peter Obi back into the party.

He referred to the former Anambra State governor as someone shaped by the PDP and said he holds significant value for any political organization.

He pointed out that despite alleged rigging and manipulation during the 2023 elections, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate still secured over six million votes.

Peter Obi, who was once the PDP’s vice presidential candidate, left the party for the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 general election.

He secured the Labour Party’s presidential ticket and ran against Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.

Obi emerged victorious in twelve states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, but placed third behind Atiku and eventual winner Tinubu, according to the final results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday night, Abdullahi noted that the PDP is making efforts to welcome Obi back into its ranks.

“Peter Obi is our product, and the PDP indeed wants to get him back. He is a very great capital for any political party, and any political party that will have him will be to their advantage,” he said.

“The truth of the matter is if he had not gone the way he did in the last dispensation and proved that mettle to generate over six million in spite of the rigging and frustration of his chances in many of the states. Peter Obi is truly a political capital no doubt about it,” he added.

Recently, Peter Obi said he remains a Labour Party member but intends to collaborate with a new Coalition formed under the African Democratic Congress.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and the PDP’s presidential candidate in the last two elections, has left the party.

Atiku is among several political figures forming a coalition aimed at unseating the current president in the 2027 elections through the ballot box.