Ahead of the scheduled May 29, 2023 inauguration of the incoming administration, President-elect Bola Tinubu and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the February 25 presidential election, met for four hours in Paris, France, on Monday, as reported by Newswall247.
According to The Cable, the primary focus of their discussion was the potential involvement of Kwankwaso in the incoming administration, as Tinubu intends to form a “government of national unity” that includes positions for opposition parties.
The meeting also addressed matters concerning the election of legislative leaders ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has allocated the top two positions in both chambers, but some of its members are opposing the arrangement and threatening to form an alliance with the opposition to undermine it.
The APC currently holds 59 senators and 175 members of the House of Representatives, while the NNPP has two senators and 19 representatives. A simple majority of 56 senators and 181 representatives is required to elect the top two leaders in each house, respectively.
Representatives of Tinubu have also been engaging with key figures in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Paris meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso took place from 12:30 pm to 4:45 pm, with Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and presumptive Chief of Staff to the President-elect, in attendance. Abdulmumin Jibrin, an NNPP representative-elect and former leader of a Tinubu campaign organization, accompanied Kwankwaso. Additionally, Oluremi Tinubu, a senator and the wife of the President-elect, received Kwankwaso’s wife, Salamatu.
It is worth noting that Tinubu and Kwankwaso reminisced about their relationship dating back to their time in the National Assembly in 1992. Tinubu served as a senator, while Kwankwaso held the position of Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives.
According to The Cable, Kwankwaso has expressed his willingness in principle to join Tinubu’s government, pending consultations with stakeholders on both sides. Tinubu is expected to brief Kashim Shettima, the Vice President-elect, the APC Governors’ Forum, and other party leaders, while Kwankwaso will do the same with his party’s leadership.
Tinubu expressed concern about the strained relationship between Abdullahi Ganduje, the outgoing governor of Kano State, and Kwankwaso. Tinubu pledged to facilitate peace and reconciliation between them. Ganduje had served as Kwankwaso’s deputy when he was governor of Kano from 2011 to 2015, but they have since gone their separate ways.
Tinubu emerged victorious in the presidential election, securing 8,797,726 votes, defeating PDP’s Atiku Abubakar by a margin of two million votes. Kwankwaso garnered 1.5 million votes, which many analysts believe could have gone to Atiku if the former Kano governor had not defected from the PDP.