President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has agreed in principle to hold talks with former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, following a recent meeting with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf. The planned discussion is connected to ongoing talks about possible defections into the All Progressives Congress.
Political sources indicate that Governor Yusuf, who is Kwankwaso’s political protégé, may be playing a role in arranging the meeting. The aim of the engagement is to discuss the terms under which Kwankwaso could consider moving to the APC alongside his supporters.
Although Tinubu and Kwankwaso have held meetings in the past, earlier discussions reportedly ended without agreement due to unresolved conditions raised by the former Kano governor. At different times, Kwankwaso has made it known that any decision to leave his party would depend on clear political benefits for himself and his followers.
Sources within the APC now say the president is open to another round of talks to address these concerns, especially in light of renewed discussions around Governor Yusuf’s political future.
When contacted, the APC chairman in Kano State, Abdullahi Abbas, declined to speak on the reported meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso. He, however, explained that if Governor Yusuf joins the APC as a sitting governor, he would automatically become the party’s leader in the state based on party practice.
Abbas added that senior figures such as former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Kwankwaso, if they eventually join the APC, would be regarded as political elders within the party structure in Kano State.