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| Kwankwaso |
The New Nigeria Peoples Party calmed fears among supporters on Saturday by announcing that Rabiu Kwankwaso, who ran for president in the previous election, wouldn't join the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The gathering between Kwankwaso and President-elect Bola Tinubu recently in Paris, France, sparked rumors that he might defect to the APC, and the party was responding to that.
At a press conference in Abuja, the NNPP's national publicity secretary, Dr. Major Agbo, reassured party members that the meeting had gone as planned and characterized Kwankwaso as a detribalized politician with allies across political and religious lines.
Agbo said, “I don’t want you to be afraid that he is going anywhere. He is not going anywhere. Like I said, he is one man whose relationship cuts across all political platforms. You will see more of that.”
He asserted that a new era would begin with the election of Abba Kabir as governor-elect of Kano State and Aminu Gwarzo as his deputy.
Aides to Tinubu and Kwankwaso expressed hope about the rekindled cooperation between their leaders, saying it is an example of what a government that values inclusion should be like.
Three weeks after their meeting in Paris while the president-elect was on a working visit, the development took place.
However, their meeting raised some eyebrows among their supporters who feared their newfound romance may stoke animosity among those who toiled tirelessly to ensure Tinubu's victory in the election.
However, Abdulmumin Jibrin, a former director-general of Tinubu's support organization and one of his political associates, denied such apprehension.
The Kano representative-elect claimed Tinubu and Kwankwaso met to discuss how they could cooperate for the benefit of national unity, integration, and development. He had switched from the ruling APC to the NNPP.
His assertion was supported by Tinubu's media representative, Tunde Rahman, who told one of our correspondents that Tinubu had proven his support for an inclusive government through his recent phone call with Antony Blinken, the secretary of state of the United States, and his meeting with Kwankwanso.