Atiku Clarifies Airport Meeting With Yari, Denies Hosting Him at Residence

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected reports that he hosted former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, at his Abuja residence.

Yari is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Atiku is a leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In a statement issued Tuesday by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku acknowledged that he and Yari met, but said the contact was unplanned and informal. According to the statement, the encounter occurred at the departure lounge of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, not at Atiku’s home.

Ibe said the clarification became necessary following media reports alleging a private meeting between the two politicians at Atiku’s residence.

He explained that Atiku was at the airport on Monday, February 2, en route to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj, accompanied by family members and associates, when he ran into Yari and exchanged greetings.

The statement comes amid heightened political consultations by Atiku with figures across party lines. On Saturday, February 1, he hosted the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yabagi Yusuf Sani, and other party officials at his Abuja residence.

That meeting followed speculation about possible realignments among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 elections. However, Sani said the discussion focused on opposition cooperation, democratic pluralism and expanding credible electoral choices, not on a merger or recruitment into the ADP.