President Bola Tinubu engaged in closed-door discussions on Thursday with a delegation representing the leadership of the Kano State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
The delegation, led by APC Chairman and former Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, included Nasir Gawuna, the party’s candidate in the upcoming governorship election scheduled for March 18. Gawuna, who previously served as Ganduje’s deputy, is a key figure in the political dynamics of the state.
This meeting follows closely on the heels of a recent Supreme Court ruling that favored Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the duly elected governor of Kano State. The apex court’s decision overturned the Court of Appeal’s judgment that initially declared Gawuna as the winner.
In the March 2023 gubernatorial election, power shifted from the APC when Gawuna polled 890,705 votes, trailing behind Yusuf, who was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with 1,019,602 votes.
Despite conceding defeat initially, Gawuna contested the election results in court. The Court of Appeal nullified Governor Yusuf’s election in November 2023, upholding the tribunal judgment that declared Gawuna the winner. However, on January 12, 2024, the Supreme Court restored Yusuf as the governor, nullifying the previous appellate court judgment.
The agenda of the closed-door meeting at the Aso Rock Villa was not disclosed to the public, and no statements were made by those who attended when questioned by State House correspondents.
The intricate political developments in Kano State continue to unfold, and the closed-door talks between President Tinubu and the Kano APC leadership underscore the strategic importance of the upcoming governorship election and the complexities surrounding the state’s political landscape.
