Tinubu In Fresh Talks With Sen. Kwankwaso

■■Over Ministers List

■■As ATIKU Woo Him

The after effect of Pres. Tinubu’s choice of Ministers has created a lot of problems for him because of his inability to fulfil his promise to many of the individuals and groups he had promised to include in his cabinet

One of these groups is the Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso group. Kwankwaso is the NNPP presidential candidate at the last presidential elections.

After Tinubu won the presidential elections, he had series of meetings with Kwankwaso on how they could work together.

And at one of the meetings an agreement was reached for Tinubu to bring in a few members of the Kwankwaso group into his cabinet.

Of course, Kwankwaso, had told Tinubu, that though he would support Tinubu’s administration, he would not come on board but he would appreciate if 2 or 3 members of his party and associates are brought in as compensation for their loyalty to him.

Tinubu was said to have accepted that gentleman’s agreement which was not signed. And Kwankwaso, who is reputed to be a highly principled politician briefed his followers on what he had agreed with Tinubu.

So many NNPP members were expectant that Pres. Tinubu will carry them along when the time comes. Then came the formation of the Tinubu, cabinet and nothing came the way of the Kwankwaso group.

When the first set of nominees were announced and no member of the group was included, there were rumblings.

But assurances were given that the Kwankwaso, group will be included in the 2nd batch of ministerial nominees. Again, when the list came out, the nominees of the Kwankwaso group were missing. And this further sent tongues wagging as to the possible reasons why Pres. Tinubu reneged on his promise.

Of course, members of the group took this as a subtle message by Pres. Tinubu that he had reneged on their earlier agreement.

This didn’t go down well with the Kwankwaso group. What has also not helped matters is the sudden rising profile of former Kano Governor, Ganduje who Pres. Tinubu chose to be the new APC Chairman.

Of course it is no longer news that all is not well between Sen. Kwankwaso and Ganduje. They are political enemies and the new Governor of Kano, Abba Yusuf has been battling Ganduje since he came into office, destroying a lot of Ganduje’s legacies.

Ganduje’s sudden rise within the Tinubu administration has given many the impression that Tinubu may have possibly dumped Kwankwaso for Ganduje.

The PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku who has been watching the game from the sidelines quickly moved in a few days ago. He met Kwankwaso and prevailed on him to let them close ranks and work together. It was during a closed door meeting.

We gathered that the Atiku group desperately wants to work with the Kwankwaso group.

But Kwankwaso who is also a master strategist is studying the situation of things going back to Atiku in PDP or accepting to work with him is tantamount to taking back his vomit. This is because he left PDP for NNPP because of Atiku & Co. who had hijacked the party.

There is also the issue of Kwakwaso’s age-long friendship with Pres. Tinubu. He feels acceptance to work with Atiku will be seen, by Tinubu, as Kwankwaso dumping him.

So, Kwankwaso is in a big dilemma. The most recent meeting between Atiku & Kwankwaso had ended up with the duo promising to meet again soon.

Of course, Kwankwaso, had told Atiku, that he will need to consult widely before taking his next move.

City People gathered that immediately Pres. Tinubu got wind of the meeting between Atiku & Kwankwaso, he began a fresh round of moves to reconcile with Kwankwaso.

He does not want Kwankwaso to go back to Atiku.

That Tinubu & Kwankwaso are close became clear when months preceding the March general elections there were talks that the two will fuse into one.

But the followers of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso repeatedly denied the possibility of Kwankwaso and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate working together.

For months, the rumour had been rife that the 2 presidential candidates will most likely work together. According to the rumour as the race gets hotter and closer to the D-Day, the 2 candidates will get their followers to collaborate in some States where they are strong. According to the logic, Kwankwaso is very strong in Kano and the North and working with Tinubu would boost its strength, just as it will boost the strength and capacity of Tinubu to win the elections. Don’t forget that to win the presidential elections a candidate needs a wide spread across 25 States and the collaboration of the 2 parties-the APC and NNPP, would lead to a strong showing at the polls.

But many NNPP chieftains denied the possibility. When City People asked one of Kwankwaso’ aides, he wondered who was spreading such an unsubstantiated claim. But much as the possibility was wished away, City People had more feelers that it was likely to happen.

This is also because Tinubu & Kwankwaso are close. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and he was so sure he would win the 2023 Presidential elections. Within political circles, he was considered to be a strong candidate. He has a huge followership across the country.

He controls the popular Kwankwasiyya Movement, and members are always in red caps. The fact that he is a seasoned politician who understands the game was enough reason for his followers to feel so. He has been in the corridors of power since 1999.

He was the Governor of Kano state from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015. After he lost his re-election in 2003, he was appointed the first Minister of Defence of the Fourth Republic with no prior military background from 2003 to 2007, under the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. He was later elected to the Senate in 2015, serving one term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kano Central Senatorial District.

He is currently the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party. Kwankwaso enjoys widespread support in Kano and North-Western Nigeria; he has been viewed as a charismatic populist. In 2011, he was re-elected governor of the state and went on to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014. In 2015, Kwankwaso unsuccessfully contested the presidential primaries nomination under the opposition All Progressive Congress, but lost to Muhammad Buhari. In 2018, he returned to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and contested the presidential primaries losing out to Atiku Abubakar. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, was confirmed as the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the 2023 general elections.

In 1992, Kwankwaso made his entry into politics on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was a member of the People’s Front faction of the SDP led by General Shehu Yar’adua and other popular politicians such as his former boss Senator Magaji Abdullahi, Babagana Kingibe, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, Tony Anenih, Chuba Okadigbo, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Abubakar Koko and Lamidi Adedibu amongst others.

In 1992, Kwankwaso was elected as a member of the House of Representatives representing Madobi Federal Constituency. His subsequent election as deputy speaker in the House brought him to the limelight of national politics. During the 1995 Constitutional Conference, Kwankwaso was elected as one of the delegates from Kano, as a member of the People’s Democratic Movement led by Yar’adua. He later joined the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in the political transition program of General Sani Abacha.

Kwankwaso joined the PDP in 1998 under the platform of People’s Democratic Movement in Kano led by Mallam Musa Gwadabe, Senator Hamisu Musa and Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila. In 1999, he contested the PDP primaries alongside Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Mukthari Zimit, Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu. The Santsi/P.S.P. were behind the candidature of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje but they lost to Kwankwaso in the primaries.

Kwankwaso was elected for his first term as the governor of Kano State from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003. His first tenure as the governor of Kano State was very uneventful because of several other groups who were opposed to his high-handed governorship and his attempt at supporting Yoruba President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2003, he lost re-election to his rival Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.

Kwankwaso was re-elected for a second term in office as governor of Kano State from 29 May 2011 to 29 May 2015. During this time, he set out to rejig the political structure of Kwankwassiya: building roads, hospitals and schools and sending residents to study abroad. In August 2013, Kwankwaso was amongst seven serving governors who formed the G-7 faction within the Peoples Democratic Party. In November 2013, Kwankwaso, alongside five members of the G-7, defected to the new opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In June 2014, Kwankwaso was at loggerheads with long-time Emir of Kano Ado Bayero over his appointment of Waziri (Vizier) of the Kano Emirate Council. On 6 June 2014, Ado Bayero died and a succession crisis loomed amongst the royals. On 8 June 2014, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi suspended Central Bank governor was chosen over Dan Majen Kano (Son of Emir-Maje) as the new Emir of Kano. His accession led to widespread protests from supporters of Sanusi Ado Bayero son of the late Emir and Chiroman Kano (Crown Prince), over allegations that Kwankwaso supported Sanusi because of the 2015 presidential election.

In October 2014, Kwankwaso used his large political following in Kano to contest the APC presidential primaries. The presidential primaries results held in Lagos were: Muhammadu Buhari with 3,430 votes, Kwankwaso with 974 votes, Atiku Abubakar with 954 votes, Rochas Okorocha with 400 votes and Sam Nda-Isiah with 10 votes. Coming in second, Kwankwaso endorsed the winner Muhammadu Buhari.