President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met behind closed doors with former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Monday night.
The meeting took place at the president’s official residence in Abuja.
Although the purpose and content of the meeting were not disclosed, sources within the Presidency confirmed that the gathering occurred but could not provide specific details. A source told The PUNCH that the meeting, held at Tinubu’s residence, was restricted and not open to most presidential aides.
Kwankwaso’s visit came shortly after he attended the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025, which was held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. His presence at the summit and subsequent meeting with the president have stirred speculation, particularly as Nigeria’s political landscape begins to shift ahead of the 2027 elections.
This is not the first meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso. The two leaders had previously met on June 9, 2023—just days after Tinubu’s inauguration—marking Kwankwaso as the first presidential candidate to visit the newly sworn-in president. At that time, Kwankwaso told State House correspondents that he had discussed politics and governance with Tinubu, adding that he might collaborate with the president but refrained from sharing specifics.
The latest meeting comes on the heels of the African Democratic Congress’s announcement of a broad-based opposition coalition aimed at challenging the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 polls. While Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party is not officially part of the ADC-led alliance, opposition groups have continued to engage him in efforts to consolidate ahead of the election.
Kwankwaso, a two-term governor of Kano (1999–2003 and 2011–2015), also served as Minister of Defence under President Olusegun Obasanjo. He contested the 2023 presidential election on the NNPP platform, placing fourth overall but securing a decisive win in Kano State. His party also claimed the governorship and a majority of seats in the Kano State House of Assembly, underscoring his enduring influence in Nigeria’s most populous northern state.
