Former Kano State Governor and influential political leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on Monday held a private meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the president’s official residence in Abuja. The meeting has drawn attention across political circles as it comes at a time when opposition parties are working to form a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The meeting followed Kwankwaso’s appearance at the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025, which was held earlier at the State House Conference Centre. This marks the second known meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso since the president assumed office in May 2023. Their first recorded encounter took place on June 9, 2023, when Kwankwaso became the first presidential candidate to visit Tinubu after his inauguration. At the time, the former Kano governor said their discussions focused on politics and governance, hinting at possible collaboration without revealing details.
Monday’s closed-door engagement comes just weeks after the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) announced a broad coalition aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections. Although Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is not formally part of this alliance, several opposition figures have been courting him, recognizing his strong grassroots influence in northern Nigeria.
Kwankwaso, 67, remains a towering figure in Nigerian politics. He served two non-consecutive terms as Kano governor (1999–2003 and 2011–2015), was Nigeria’s Defence Minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo, and ran for the presidency in 2023 under the NNPP, where he finished fourth but delivered a decisive victory in Kano State. The NNPP currently controls the governorship and the majority of seats in the state assembly, further consolidating Kwankwaso’s dominance in the region.
While details of the latest meeting were not made public, a presidency source noted that the engagement, held at the president’s residence, was off limits to most aides and no official briefing was released.
