President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have not met in the last14 months, Daily Trust has learnt.
The last time the two leaders met was on January 7, 2020, when Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, visited the State House, Abuja.
Daily Trust could not establish the last time the president and the former governor spoke through phone, but multiple sources said all is not well between the duo.
Though Tinubu traveled out of the country for long, his “distance from the Villa” is being interpreted in many quarters as a manifestation of a rift between his camp and that of President Buhari with the 2023 presidential election as the bone of contention.
During his last visit on January 7, 2020, Tinubu described President Buhari as a man of character and courage who will never accept the offer of a third term in office.
Before then, they have held a similar closed-door meeting on November 2, 2018. But Tinubu declined to comment on the outcome of the parley.
Tinubu had on October 31, 2018, met with President Buhari and dismissed the call for the resignation of the then national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Meanwhile, the President is expected to chair the colloquium to celebrate the 69th birthday of Tinubu.
It was gathered that President Buhari will preside virtually over the event organised by the office of the Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo .
The theme of the colloquium is, ‘Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth: The Imperative Of National Cohesion For Growth And Prosperity’.
The event, the 12th in the series of the Bola Tinubu Colloquium, will hold virtually on March 29, 2021.
– Daily Trust