Following political manoeuvring and alignments, President Bola Tinubu is said to have resolved not to leave anything to chances as all activities seem geared towards 2027 elections.
With, hitherto, political opponents defecting or planning to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in major states, particularly, in the Southern part,
the president is said to be worried and planning how to capture the over five million votes from Kano, so as to be sure of his political victory in 2027.
The thinking among, APC bigwigs is that Lagos is a ‘done deal’ following recent massive defections and allegiance to President Tinubu, particularly over recent achievements in infrastructure and gradual reduction in prices of some food items
Metrobusinessnews.com (MBN) gathered at the weekend that Tinubu may have settled for the two time Governor of Kano, and the current national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Rabi’u Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso, was governor of Kano State from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015, and he is currently the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), controlling Kano State.
Kwankwaso also served as Minister of Defence under the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Just like the president is regarded as the strong man of Lagos politics, Kwankwaso is also seen as such for Kano politics, the quality that has endeared him to the President and some chieftains of the party.
Kwankwaso, who was governor of Kano State from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015, is currently the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), controlling Kano State.
He also served as a Senator, who represented Kano Central Senatorial District, from 2015 to 2019, as well served as Minister of Defence under the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The strong man of Kano politics is said to be the most favourite by President Tinubu, to assist in consolidating APC’s base in both Kano and many parts of North Western part of Nigeria.
The NNPP national leader who is seen as the strong man of Kano politics, also served as the Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District, from 2015 to 2019, and is said to be needed by the President to help consolidate APC’s base in both Kano and many parts of North Western part of Nigeria.
There are indications that President Bola Tinubu may opt for Rabi’u Kwankwaso, to replace current Vice President Kashim Shettima in 2027.
Also, BusinessDay reported that a very reliable source in Abuja told BDSunday that the development may have contributed to the reasons why Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of APC did not endorse Vice President Shettima at the recent stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe State last Sunday.
The paper also reported that a source in Abuja, close to the party confided in it that the choice of Kwankwaso has received strong backing amongst some party stakeholders to help seal Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 presidential election, adding that “Kwankwaso is being wooed to return to the party and has visited the President. But we need him to join early enough.
“He has what the President and our party need to ensure smooth re-election for President Bola Tinubu.”
Our source also revealed that Kwankwaso is seen as a great asset, as a result of the experience and the huge support base, across the north, especially with the Kwankwasia movement.
During the 2023 presidential election, his party, the NNPP came distant fourth.
BDSunday gathered that President Tinubu’s political strategists are banking on the size of Kano, made up of 44 local governments.
In the 2023 general election, Kano had a total of 5,921,370 registered voters, which is second, only to Lagos State, which had a total of 7,060,195 registered voters.
Already, information from the grapevine, according to the paper, has revealed that political heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in that election are working together to wrest power from the incumbent President.
It was not immediately clear if Peter Obi will abandon the Labour Party, but BDSunday checks revealed that the decision as to which party Obi will work with will depend on what he is offered, as the Obidient Movement has vowed to resist any plan to make him a running mate to any candidate.
With the latest developments however, President Tinubu is said not to be taking things lightly and is working to ensure that he leaves nothing to chance.
The coalition is also intensifying it plans, with a recent meeting in Abuja during the week, where they agreed to register a new political platform to be known as All Democratic Alliance (ADA).
BDSunday gathered that the coalition has already attracted the likes of David Mark, former Senate president; John Odigie-Oyegun, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal, all former governors.
Others include Abubakar Malami, former minister of Justice and Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The former PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus; Osita Chidoka, former Aviation minister, and Nnenna Ukeje have also thrown their weight behind the coalition
They recently approved plans to approach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), as the political platform to wrest power from President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
BDSunday gathered that the group has perfected their documents to seek registration, following their inability to collapse into one of the existing political parties.
The group had set up a Platform Committee consisting 15 members and mandated it to form an association for the purpose of applying to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with a view to registering a new political party.
It was gathered that series of meetings were held, subcommittees were constituted and reports have been submitted to the Platform Committee.
