Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, met on Saturday evening in Kaduna.

Atiku, in a statement after the visit, said he paid a solidarity call on El-Rufai following the recent attack on him by thugs allegedly sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the inauguration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state.

The former vice president described the actions of the APC under President Bola Tinubu as the “greatest risk to democracy since the return of civilian rule,” alleging that the administration had “turned into a full-blown dictatorship.”

He added that the meeting resolved to harmonise efforts towards rescuing Nigeria and providing what he called a “viable alternative platform” through the ADC.

In a video released after the meeting, El-Rufai also accused the Tinubu administration of running a dictatorship worse than military rule, urging Nigerians to unite to end the president’s tenure in 2027.

Both Atiku and El-Rufai are among opposition figures now working with the ADC as part of preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.