The President's trip would give some powerbrokers in the All Progressives Congress room to perfect the emergence of former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari alongside some of his Ministers, has departed the country for Madrid, Spain on an official visit to the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez.
This was made known by Femi Adesina, special adviser on Media and Publicity to the President in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Buhari will also meet with the Head of State of the Spanish nation, His Majesty King Felipe VI where he will ”discuss issues of mutual interest to both countries, which will expectedly result in the signing of Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on a wide range of topics geared towards further enhancing the bilateral relations between the two nations."
According to the statement, the areas of interest include Extradition and transfer of convicted persons, Mutual Legal Assistance, Cultural Matters, Cooperation towards fighting crime and enhancing security, as well as issues affecting dependants of diplomatic staff.
”Also on the agenda are Cooperation Energy, Trade and Investment, Transportation, Public Health and Sports Development.
"The President will also be the Special Guest at an Investment Forum jointly organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Trade, and the Confederation of Employers (CEOE) where he will speak to the gathering of top members of the Spanish business community and their Nigerian counterparts on the investment opportunities in Nigeria and ways of expanding the volume of trade as well as further collaborating for the development of the economies of both countries.”
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He is embarking on the journey alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; and the Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora.
”Other members of the delegation are the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd); Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar; and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
”The President is expected back in the country on Friday, June 3."
This is despite the ongoing presidential screening of aspirants under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Abuja.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that Buhari would go to Spain.
SaharaReporters had gathered that the President's trip would give some powerbrokers in the All Progressives Congress room to perfect the emergence of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, as the party’s 2023 consensus candidate.
Competent sources informed SaharaReporters on Saturday that part of the reasons why Buhari went to Malabo, the Equatorial Guinean capital with his wife, Aisha, was to prevent her from causing “confusion” while the cabals were at work.
SaharaReporters had months ago reported how a cabal in the ruling APC are pushing for Jonathan to succeed Buhari, after “being impressed” by how the former President never openly criticised Buhari government despite its ineptitude and despite the insults the APC, as an opposition party, hurled at him (Jonathan) ahead of the 2015 presidential election.