Former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Friday met with the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Abuja, fueling speculation about Kwankwaso’s possible return to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The two political heavyweights were seen together after Jumaat prayers at a mosque in the nation’s capital.

El-Rufai was accompanied by his eldest son, Hon. Bello El-Rufai, during the meeting, according to a report by The Nation.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of growing rumours that Kwankwaso has struck a deal with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that could see him, along with his political followers, rejoin the APC.

Observers believe that Kwankwaso’s return could significantly boost Tinubu’s chances of securing re-election in the 2027 general elections.

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State says he is optimistic that more politicians from the opposition parties will defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2027 elections.

He made this known while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Saturday after a meeting with political stakeholders from Delta.

Ekwutosblog recalls that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other party bigwigs in Delta had recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the APC.

Reacting, Uzodinma said, “You can see the tide is moving and people are joining and there will be no end to it. You must have heard that our party in Delta is growing from strength to strength.

“The high point of the state of the party is that Delta is now almost a one-party state.”

The governor, who chairs the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), said that with the development in Delta, the APC would use its internal mechanism to integrate old and new members.

“We have to meet to be able to manage this very huge success, to ensure that using the mechanism, the internal mechanism of our great party, that we will receive our new members, our new leaders.

“We will then come together as a family to grow the party and support the government in Delta for the benefit of our people and members of our great party.

“So, I think we are happy with the development and a big testimony to the fact that the APC government in Nigeria is being admired by many, if not all and sundry,” he said.

The Obidient Movement has launched its online registration portal and identity cards for members in Nigeria and in the diaspora.

This was disclosed on Saturday in a statement signed by Obidient Movement’s National Coordinator, Dr Yunusa Tanko and Nana Kazaure, the Director of Strategic Communications and Media of the Obidient Movement.

The movement said the identity card will carry the flag of the country where the holder resides.

According to the statement, the identity card has a QR code on the bottom right hand corner for authentication.

The statement reads: “Obidient registration portal supports Nigerians and fellow Obidients living in the diaspora. You will observe that the ID has a flag on it so, for example, if you’re not resident in Nigeria, the top right hand corner will carry the flag of your country of residence.

“That way, we can all witness first hand, the embodying of our spirit of diversity, comradery, unity and how far reaching the messaging Obidient Movement is.

“The OBX is constant on the ID card. The Diasporan and Nigerian card, all start with the same prefix which is the OBX.

“The following characters which are 2 letters and 2 numbers depending on if you are a Nigerian or a Nigerian voter living in the diaspora, who comes in to vote every election cycle indicates your State and LGA.

“It is worthy of note that there are 4 characters. The first 2 letters are for Nigerian State codes (for example Lagos state is LA and Delta is DE). The others are 2 digit numbers which represent the local government area where you are registered.

“If you are Nigerian and you are an Obidient or an individual who identifies with our struggle, our mantra of better sustainable governance all over the world, and our firm belief especially in our country Nigeria where we reaffirm that “A NEW NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, the card will vary slightly from the Nigerian model because, in this case, the card will carry a 3 letter country code. So in the UK for example, it will be simply read GBR.

“Most importantly, please note that the other numbers on the identity cards are deliberately randomised for the security of our card carriers. So you cannot just guess the Obidient Movement’s codes and numbers. So for example, you cannot expect HE Peter Obi’s ID card to just read 001.

“The QR code on the bottom righthand corner is there to authenticate the authenticity of your card. Which can be scanned with any QR scanner such as a smartphone. This aims, with the intention to give Obidients a secure and confident way of interacting with one another. So if you choose to support or do business with an Obidient, you can scan the QR code or verify the OBX ID online to confirm that the person is who and what they truly say they are and are who they truly claim to be.

“When you sign up and submit your form online, it goes through a verification process. So for example you put in your X handle, it makes it easier for verification.

“In the event you decide to enter into any business dealings or enter into any informal or formal relations we implore you all to please endeavour to carry out your own independent investigations and do your due diligence thoroughly and properly so as to avoid becoming prey to some who may have ulterior and criminally motivated intentions.”