… Yari’s son’s wedding attracts top politicians
President Bola Tinubu on Friday led high-profile Nigerians, including his political associates, to Kaduna State to witness the wedding ceremony of Nasirudeen Yari and his bride, Safiyya Shehu Idris.
Nasirudeen, the bridegroom, is the son of Abdulaziz Yari, former Governor of Zamfara State and Tinubu’s political ally.
The wedding, however, took a strong political colouration and a demonstration of Tinubu’s political acceptance in Kaduna State, regarded as the political capital of the North.
Since 2023, the Governor Uba Sani political machinery has struggled to entrench a new bloc, to wrestle power from his former political godfather and mentor, former Governor Nasir El-Rufai. i
It was, therefore, a large entourage of Tinubu’s political associates, loyalists, and supporters from Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, and other neighbouring states that poured into the state capital in the early hours of Friday, to receive the President.
The gathering, though essentially a social ceremony, also doubled as a rallying point for party chieftains, lawmakers, and political heavyweights, offering a platform for informal consultations and networking ahead of the 2027 election season.
Kaduna became agog from the moment President Tinubu’s aircraft touched down at the Hassan Usman Katsina International Airport at about 1 p.m. on Friday.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, Ali Modu Sheriff, former Borno governor, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and Abdulmumin Jibrin, former member, House of Representatives, were on the ground to receive and welcome him to the State.e
Others who also welcomed the President were Solomon Olamilekan, Wale Edun, Minister of Finance, Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, N.GF.
Katsina State Governor, Umaru Dikko Radda, and his Niger State counterparts, Governor Umar Bago, were also among several other dignitaries.
Nasirudeen, the groom, is the son of Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who represents Zamfara West in the National Assembly and is a former governor of Zamfara State.
The list of dignitaries also included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and other traditional rulers and supporters, leading to heavy vehicular and human traffic, with long build-ups around key locations such as the popular Kawo Bridge and Mando Park.
Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters thronged Ahmadu Bello Way and adjoining streets, waving banners and placards with bold political messages and subliminal inscriptions in support of Tinubu’s administration and a possible 2027 presidential bid.
Chants of “Tinubu Again” echoed from youths and students who lined the major routes leading into the city centre.
Some guests had arrived as early as Thursday, creating high demand for accommodation across the Kaduna metropolis.
The surge stretched the city’s hospitality sector, with many hotels fully booked and late arrivals left stranded in lobbies or seeking alternatives in neighbouring towns.
The high point of the President’s visit was the courtesy visit to Aisha Buhari, widow of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, at the family residence in Kaduna.
The President was accompanied by the Governors and other dignitaries.
