Tinubu, Kwankwaso Meet Behind Closed Doors Amid Rising Opposition Momentum

Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso met with President Bola Tinubu on Monday in a closed-door session at the president’s official residence in Abuja.

The meeting followed Kwankwaso’s attendance at the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025, held earlier in the day 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 encounter at Aso Rock came on June 9, 2023, shortly after Tinubu’s inauguration—where Kwankwaso became the first presidential candidate to visit the newly sworn-in president. At the time, he told reporters they discussed governance and politics, hinting at potential collaboration without providing specifics.

Though Monday’s meeting was not open to the press, it comes at a politically sensitive time—just weeks after the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) launched a coalition aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

Kwankwaso, 67, remains a key northern power-broker and is the founder of the influential “Kwankwasiyya” movement. He served two terms as governor of Kano State, held the position of defence minister under President Obasanjo, and ran for president in 2023 under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), finishing fourth nationally but winning convincingly in Kano. The NNPP also secured the governorship and a majority in the state assembly, reinforcing Kwankwaso’s political grip on Nigeria’s most populous northern state.

Although the NNPP is not formally part of the ADC-led coalition, Kwankwaso has become a central figure in opposition strategy talks as parties seek to unite ahead of 2027.

Presidency sources declined to confirm the purpose or content of the latest meeting, with one insider noting that the session was held at the residence and was off-limits to most aides.