By Rabiu Mohammed
ABUJA, Nigeria (chatnewstv.com) — President Bola Tinubu has formally invited Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), to the Presidential Villa for high-stakes talks following a breakthrough meeting with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Monday.
The invitation is the latest development in a significant political realignment that could see the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) absorb the leadership of Kano State, a key electoral battleground.
Governor Yusuf met with President Tinubu for over an hour Monday to finalize his own defection plans and present a “last-minute push” to bring his political mentor, Kwankwaso, into the ruling party. The meeting included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, APC National Chairman Yilwatda Nentawe, and the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
“The issue of Kwankwaso is what matters to Mr. President,” a source familiar with the discussions said, noting that much of the session focused on the conditions Kwankwaso has reportedly set for joining the APC.
Yusuf reportedly urged the president to personally intervene after his own attempts to persuade the “Kwankwasiyya” leader hit a stalemate. Kwankwaso, who has maintained a cautious distance from the ruling party despite several previous meetings with Tinubu, canceled a planned visit to Kano on Tuesday to honor the presidency’s invitation.
Political analysts say the move marks a potential end to the decade-long association between Yusuf and Kwankwaso within the NNPP. Yusuf is expected to formally tender his resignation from the NNPP as early as Wednesday, a move supported by the Kano State House of Assembly, which recently cited leadership crises within the opposition party as a threat to their mandates.
While speculation has swirled that Yusuf might demand automatic tickets for himself and his loyalists as a condition for the move, insiders suggest such bold demands were not made during the Monday session.
“No governor dares look into the president’s eyes and make that demand,” the source said.
The looming defection would leave the NNPP without its only governorship seat and significantly strengthen Tinubu’s foothold in northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, it also sets the stage for a complex power-sharing arrangement in Kano, where the governor may have to reconcile with his predecessor and current APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
