ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu on Friday, July 25, 2025, welcomed his former colleagues from the 1999–2007 class of state governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, rekindling camaraderie among Nigeria’s first generation of civilian governors following the country’s return to democracy in 1999.
Tinubu, who served as governor of Lagos State during that period, received the delegation led by former Delta State governor, James Ibori, during a courtesy visit.
The gathering marked the second time the group has met with Tinubu since he assumed the presidency, with their previous reunion taking place in July 2023.
Present at the meeting were former governors Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Boni Haruna (Adamawa), Donald Duke (Cross River), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Lucky Igbinedion (Edo), Jolly Nyame (Taraba), Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom), Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti), and Adamu Mu’azu (Bauchi).
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who also served as governor of Benue State from 1999 to 2007, introduced the delegation at the start of the meeting.
Notable absentees included Bisi Akande (Osun), Olusegun Osoba (Ogun), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Sani Yerima (Zamfara), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), and Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia).
While the agenda of the closed-door meeting was not immediately disclosed, the gathering is believed to be part of ongoing consultations and goodwill engagements by President Tinubu with key political figures from Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
See photos from the meeting below:
