Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, spe
Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, spent part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations with President Bola Tinubu.
On Sunday evening, Sowunmi, a chieftain of the PDP, via his X account, shared a photo of him standing next to Tinubu.
Sowunmi’s post comes at a time when several lawmakers from opposition parties, including the PDP, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The wave of defections has sparked concern among opposition leaders about their political footing ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In April, the PDP chieftain said the party would not be forced into a nebulous coalition. He noted that individuals are free to align politically but said parties like the PDP must be approached with clarity and respect for their ideology and structure.
Sowunmi also said his former boss, Abubakar, who is pushing for the coalition, would still have to formally consult with the PDP.
Sowunmi is not the only ally of the former vice-president who has recently spent quality time with the president.
His visit adds to a growing list of interactions between Tinubu and figures once firmly aligned with the opposition, raising questions about shifting loyalties ahead of 2027.
Last November, Tinubu appointed Daniel Bwala, the spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar campaign in 2023, as his special adviser on public communications and media.
Similarly, the general overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare also paid a visit to Tinubu on Wednesday, June 4, paid a courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
Bakare who ran against Tinubu in the APC presidential primary of 2022 was a former Vice-Presidential candidate to Muhammadu Buhari during the 2011 elections under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
About two months before his visit, Bakare delivered a scathing critique of Nigeria’s leadership during his Easter Sunday state-of-the-nation broadcast in Lagos. The former presidential candidate accused President Tinubu of nurturing a motor park brand of politics that has led to legislative rascality and the erosion of constitutional governance.
Bakare had called for a change in leadership approach, warning that Nigeria is too delicate for the current brand of politics. He had urged Tinubu to reflect on the dangers of unlimited power and to stop “playing God.”
Bakare and Tinubu
