President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday night held a private meeting with former Kano State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at the President’s official residence in Abuja.
Naija News gathered that the closed-door meeting, which was not open to the press or most presidential aides, took place after Kwankwaso attended the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025 at the State House Conference Centre.
Presidency sources confirmed the meeting occurred but did not provide details of the discussions. “It was held at the residence and off-limits to most aides,” one source told The PUNCH.
The meeting comes as political calculations for the 2027 elections begin to take shape. Though Kwankwaso’s party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), is not part of the recently announced ADC-led opposition coalition, he remains a key figure with significant grassroots influence, especially in Northern Nigeria.
Kwankwaso previously met with Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa on June 9, 2023, shortly after Tinubu’s inauguration, where he hinted at a possible working relationship, though without disclosing specifics.
A former defence minister and two-time governor of Kano State, Kwankwaso finished fourth in the 2023 presidential election but delivered a sweeping victory for the NNPP in Kano, securing the governorship and a majority in the State Assembly.
