Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, on Monday met with President Bola Tinubu at the president’s official residence in Aso Rock, Abuja.
The meeting took place shortly after Kwankwaso attended the opening session of the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025 at the State House Conference Centre. This marks the second publicly known meeting between the two political figures in just over two years. Their last recorded encounter was on 9 June 2023, a few days after Tinubu’s inauguration, making Kwankwaso the first presidential candidate to visit him.
While details of Monday’s discussions remain undisclosed, the meeting comes only weeks after the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) announced a coalition aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Kwankwaso, 67, is a seasoned politician and the founder of the influential “Kwankwasiyya” movement. He served two non-consecutive terms as governor of Kano State (1999–2003 and 2011–2015) and was Nigeria’s Defence Minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo. In the 2023 presidential election, he contested under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), finishing fourth but delivering a decisive win for his party in Kano State.
Though the NNPP is not officially part of the ADC-led opposition coalition, Kwankwaso remains a key figure courted by opposition parties seeking to build a strong alliance ahead of 2027. Presidency sources declined to comment on the agenda of his private talks with President Tinubu.
