President Bola Tinubu yesterday evening played host to the members of the Senate for a Ramadan Iftar at the Presidential Villa. The closed-door session, which began shortly after 6:30 pm, provided an informal but strategic interface between the executive and the upper chamber of the National Assembly at a pivotal period in the national calendar.

The meeting came barely 48 hours after the President hosted state governors across party lines for a similar Ramadan Iftar, continuing a pattern of using the holy month as a platform for consensus-building and intergovernmental dialogue. Senators arrived at the Villa from about 5:55 pm. in four large chauffeurdriven buses and were ushered into the President’s Conference Room ahead of the breaking of fast.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and other senior officials joined the President at the gathering. Although no official readout was issued as of press time, previous Ramadan Iftars hosted by the President have doubled as soft-power engagements, reinforcing cooperation between arms of government and appealing for unity in addressing economic and security challenges.

The Iftar forms part of a series of Ramadan activities lined up at the State House, underscoring the administration’s effort to fuse spiritual reflection with statecraft. Ramadan, observed by Muslims worldwide, entails fasting from dawn to sunset, with the daily fast broken at Iftar following the Maghrib prayer.

In Nigeria, the meal typically holds between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm, depending on location, and is traditionally preceded by dates and water before prayers and a communal dinner. Beyond its religious significance, the season often serves as a moment for reconciliation, charity and bridgebuilding, themes that have increasingly defined the President’s Ramadan engagements at the Villa.