FILE: NNPP 2023 flag bearer Rabiu Kwankwaso (L) meets with President Bola Tinubu
Presidential aide says decades-old alliance fuels fresh discussions as Kwankwaso becomes central figure in pre-2027 political chessboard.
With less than two years to the 2027 general election, a potential alliance between President Bola Tinubu and former NNPP presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is stirring fresh conversations across Nigeria’s political landscape.
Senior Special Adviser to the President on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has downplayed the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s recent meeting with Kwankwaso, describing it as a natural development rooted in a relationship spanning over three decades.
“There’s nothing wrong with President Tinubu meeting Kwankwaso. Politicians realign; it’s part of politics. They’ve known each other since the early ’90s,” Abdulaziz said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.
Both Tinubu and Kwankwaso served as senators during the truncated Third Republic and became governors in 1999, building a rapport that Abdulaziz said makes their renewed interaction unsurprising.
The meeting, which took place at the Aso Villa last week, is fuelling speculation that Tinubu is strategically courting Kwankwaso, whose red-cap Kwankwasiyya movement commands a cult-like following in the north, especially Kano State.
Kano remains a critical political battleground. In the 2023 presidential election, Kwankwaso’s NNPP dominated the state, winning 38 out of 44 local government areas and polling 997,279 votes — far ahead of Tinubu (517,341), Atiku Abubakar (131,716), and Peter Obi (28,513). Nationwide, Kwankwaso secured 1,496,687 votes, finishing fourth behind Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi.
Observers say the President’s latest overtures may be part of a broader move to neutralize the growing opposition coalition involving Atiku, Obi, and other opposition figures ahead of 2027.
Abdulaziz also addressed recent defections of two opposition governors — Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta — to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the moves were not coerced.
“The president is a consensus builder and an approachable leader. Many of these defections are happening because of personal relationships, not pressure,” he noted.
He argued that President Tinubu’s open-door style, long-standing networks, and consistent political engagement make him one of the most accessible presidents in Nigeria’s history.
“With his experience and relationships, it’s no surprise politicians across party lines are gravitating toward him,” Abdulaziz added.
As of mid-2025, the APC now controls 23 states, while the PDP holds 10. The Labour Party (LP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) control one
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