SPOTTED: Mamman Daura meets with Shettima while recuperating in London

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has paid a visit to Mamman Daura, nephew of former President Muhammadu Buhari, at a London hospital.

The meeting came as part of Shettima’s official condolence mission to Buhari’s family, following the former president’s death on Sunday, July 13.

Daura has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness in the United Kingdom.

Though largely out of the public eye in recent months, he remains a towering figure in the political memory of the Buhari administration.

Daura was respected, scrutinised, and often credited with wielding considerable influence behind the scenes throughout his nephew’s presidency.

On Monday, Daura was seen in a rare public moment — standing and exchanging a handshake with the vice-president.

A video shared by Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s spokesperson, offered a glimpse of resilience from a man long thought to be politically retired, and more recently rumoured to be seriously ill.

“On behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, upon arrival in London, met with and condoled with the family of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari,” Nkwocha wrote in a post on X.

“The Vice President also visited the late President’s nephew, Malam Mamman Daura, who is recuperating in a London hospital.”

The meeting took place in a subdued atmosphere, as preparations continue for Buhari’s burial in his hometown of Daura, Katsina state.

The late president, who ruled Nigeria both as a military leader from 1983 to 1985 and as a civilian president from 2015 to 2023, died after a prolonged illness in a London clinic.

Tinubu has declared Tuesday, July 15, a public holiday in honour of Buhari and ordered all national flags to be flown at half-mast for seven days.

A special federal executive council (FEC) session initially slated for Tuesday has been postponed as Tinubu prepares to attend the funeral.

Throughout Buhari’s presidency, Daura maintained no formal position in government but remained a key figure in the president’s inner circle.

His influence shaped appointments and political alliances, earning him both reverence and criticism as one of the most consequential unelected figures in Nigeria’s recent political history.