Jibrin Reveals Ganduje’s Chat, Explains Tinubu’s Meeting With Kwankwaso in Paris

Ilesanmi AdekanbiMay 22, 2023

2 minutes read

Abdulmumin Jibrin, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and lawmaker-elect, has revealed the reason behind the meeting between President-elect Bola Tinubu and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in Paris, France.

Jibrin, who is a former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, said in an audio message to The Nation that the meeting was for the sake of national unity, cohesion, and development.

He said that Tinubu, who is a former governor of Lagos State and a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), consulted with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State before the meeting.

He added that Ganduje and Kwankwaso, who are both former governors of Kano State and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), could resolve their differences.

Tinubu and Kwankwaso have a long history of friendship and political alliance. They were both elected as senators in 1992 under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

They were also governors in 1999 under different parties. Tinubu was governor of Lagos State under the Alliance for Democracy (AD), while Kwankwaso was governor of Kano State under the PDP2

They continued their relationship when Kwankwaso was a minister of Defence and Tinubu was still the governor of Lagos State.

They also worked closely to establish the APC in 2013, which defeated the PDP in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.

However, their relationship soured when Kwankwaso left the APC for the PDP in 2018 and contested against Tinubu’s ally, President Muhammadu Buhari, in the 2019 presidential election.

Tinubu emerged as the president-elect of Nigeria in March 2023 after defeating Kwankwaso’s party mate, Atiku Abubakar, in a keenly contested election.

Jibrin said that Tinubu’s meeting with Kwankwaso was not meant to undermine anyone or betray those who supported him. He said that Tinubu’s priority was to unite the country and foster development.

He also said that Ganduje confirmed to him that Tinubu informed him about the meeting and he had no objection to it. He said that it was unfair to portray Tinubu in a bad light by Ganduje who knew about the meeting.

He said that he advised Ganduje to reconcile with Kwankwaso and promised to convey his message to him. He said that both Ganduje and Kwankwaso had a lot at stake in who becomes the minority leader of the 10th House of Representatives.

The minority leader is the leader of the opposition parties in the House of Representatives and plays a key role in shaping debates and policies.

The two candidates vying for the position are Hon Oluwole Oke from Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun State, and Hon Kingsley Chinda from Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State

Oke is supported by Atiku Abubakar, while Chinda is backed by Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State. The contest has divided the PDP caucus in the incoming 10th Assembly into two factions: “Greater Minority” and “Minority Apex.”