Atiku Abubakar visited Rotimi Amaechi at his Abuja home on Thursday. The former vice president made the trip days after winning the ADC presidential primary.
Atiku emerged victorious in Monday's contest. He defeated Amaechi and economist Muhammad Hayatu-Deen to clinch the African Democratic Congress ticket.
Nearly 2.53 million party members cast votes out of 3.11 million registered. According to results announced Wednesday night, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes.
Amaechi came second with 504,117 votes. Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes in the exercise.
Both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the primary before results were announced. They claimed irregularities marred the voting process and boycotted the collation ceremony.
Atiku broke his silence on social media about the meeting. He described it as warm and filled with frank discussions.
"We had deep and honest conversations about the troubling state of our nation," Atiku posted. In his words, they discussed "growing economic pain, insecurity, and the urgent responsibility on patriotic Nigerians."
According to him, the talks centered on finding solutions to Nigeria's problems. He emphasized the need to rescue the country "from drift and despair."
Observers see the visit as a reconciliation move. It signals attempts to heal rifts within the party after a contentious primary battle.
Amaechi had been a strong contender for the ticket. His second-place finish was considered surprising by many political watchers.
The ADC had hoped for party unity heading into the general elections. Thursday's meeting between Atiku and Amaechi may strengthen that prospect.
