District Vice President Candidate All Progressive Congress (APC) for the upcoming presidential election, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday visited the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, at his Abuja residence.
Mr. Shettima posted about the visit his Facebook page on Tuesday night, including a picture showing him and the host shaking hands and smiling at each other.
“I have paid my brother, former Governor of Ekiti State, HE Ayodele Peter Fayose visit,” wrote Mr. Shettima. “The great Oshoko welcomed us with rare warmth and intimacy.
“Thank you for your support and God bless you for accepting me and my team.”
Mr. Fayose has yet to comment on hosting Mr. Shettima and giving him political support.
However, news of the visit piqued the interest of many people on Facebook and the post had attracted around 500 comments as of 8am on Wednesday.
Mr. Fayose is an influential member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his support for the ruling APC is seen as a major boost to the likely election of the Bola Tinubu-Kashim Shettima ticket, especially in Ekiti State where the former governor is a favorite. .
The development may also affect the possibility of the Atiku Abubakar-Ifeanyi Okowa ticket, which has been struggling to establish a strong foothold in Ekiti and the South West States.
Mr. Fayose has been at loggerheads with PDP leaders after their preferred presidential candidate, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, was defeated by Atiku in the party’s primary last year.
The former Ekiti governor is a powerful member of the influential dissident camp in the PDP, led by Mr. Wike, who wants party chairman Iyorchia Ayu to resign so that he can be replaced by a nominee from Southern Nigeria.
Wike’s camp insisted that if the party’s presidential candidate is from the North, the position of party chairman should be occupied by someone from the South, in line with the party’s zoning convention.
All entreaties for the aggrieved camp, which has five governors in the fold, to shield the sword and support Atiku so far failed.
Frustrated, PDP leaders last week moved against Mr. Fayose by suspending his son and dissolving the Ekiti State exco from the party. An interim party leadership was then immediately installed in the country
The party’s move may have hardened Mr. Fayose and made him openly campaign for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, damaging his own party.
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