Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the NNPP in the 2023 presidential election, has confirmed meeting President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Paris, France.
Recall on Tuesday, the meeting of the duo which lasted for hours was reportedly brokered by Kwankwaso’s ally, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, the House of Representatives member who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the NNPP months before the 2023 general elections.
Confirming the meeting in an interview with TRT Afrika, the former governor of Kano state said he would not reveal the full details of his meeting with Tinubu, who travelled to Europe.
Kwankwaso, who got almost 1 million votes in Kano in the last presidential election, said he would not release the details of the meeting until they conclude their discussion and negotiation but promised to release full details next week, Thursday, May 25, 2023.
Commenting on whether he and Tinubu, as well as their supporters, enjoyed the ongoing alliances, the Kano-born politician said, “that’s what we started doing. Let us finish it.”
There are speculations that the former governor of Kano state will dump the NNPP for the All Progressives Congress (APC), and he is expected to play a major role in the government of the incoming administration.
It is also speculated that Tinubu may broker peace between Kwankwaso and his successor, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Ganduje was Kwankwaso’s deputy throughout his tenure but the duo fell apart not long after the former became Kano’s helmsman.
Last July, the NNPP leader subtly endorsed Tinubu to emerge as Nigeria’s next leader, describing him as “a strategist.”
“Bola Tinubu is a strategist. I had reasons to sit with him an uncountable number of times from 1992 till date. I’m so happy with that combination (Tinubu-Shettima); my only worry is the platform (APC),” Kwankwaso said at the time.