TheCable

Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has invited presidential hopefuls of various political parties to Iftar at Aso Villa.

According to the invitation card seen by TheCable, the dinner is expected to take place at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on Saturday at 6:30pm.

Presidential hopefuls were asked not to come with their phones for the dinner, but only the invitation card.

Speaking on the invitation, Aliyu Abdullahi, spokesperson to the first lady, said it is a standard protocol at the villa for guests to be instructed not to bring their phones whenever the president, vice-president or first lady will attend an event.

Abdullahi said the instruction does not apply to the vice-president or ministers.

“There is nothing here. This is a standard operational protocol in the villa when you are having either of the three occupants of the presidency. If they are coming for an event, this is supposed to be DSS enforced,” he said.

“Whether the president, vice-president or first lady is having an event, that is the security and standard protocol.”

In March, TheCable had reported that the first lady returned to the country after a five-month stay in Dubai.

Over the past few days, Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo have organised Iftar for political stakeholders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Tuesday, Buhari hosted governors of the 36 states of the federation, security chiefs and heads of para-military organisations to Iftar at the State House, Abuja.

On April 10, Osinbajo held Iftar for APC stakeholders — the meeting was a curtain raiser to the vice-president’s presidential declaration, which took place a day after.