Tinubu, Kwankwaso in closed-door meeting amid 2027 political realignment talks

Former Kano State Governor and leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, held a private meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the presidential residence in Abuja on Monday, fueling fresh speculation about possible political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The closed-door session followed Kwankwaso’s attendance at the Nigeria Forest Economy Summit 2025, held earlier in the day at the State House Conference Centre. While details of the meeting remain undisclosed, the encounter—held away from public and media view—reportedly excluded most aides from both camps, underscoring its sensitive nature.

This marks the second publicly known meeting between the two political figures in just over two years. The first occurred on June 9, 2023, barely two weeks after Tinubu’s inauguration, when Kwankwaso became the first 2023 presidential candidate to visit the newly sworn-in president.

At the time, the NNPP leader told journalists that the two had discussed “politics and governance,” hinting at possible collaboration but offering no specifics.

Though Monday’s meeting ended without an official communiqué, it comes at a time of heightened political maneuvering across Nigeria’s opposition landscape. Just weeks earlier, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) unveiled a broad coalition aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

READ ALSO: PDP declares readiness to defeat APC in 2027, says Tinubu is bad choice for Nigerians 

While the NNPP is not formally part of the ADC-led alliance, opposition actors have been actively courting Kwankwaso, widely seen as a northern political heavyweight with the potential to influence national electoral outcomes.

A former Defence Minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo and founder of the popular Kwankwasiyya movement, Kwankwaso is a prominent figure in northern Nigerian politics.

He served two non-consecutive terms as Governor of Kano State (1999–2003 and 2011–2015) and remains a dominant force in the region. During the 2023 presidential election, he ran under the NNPP banner and finished fourth nationally, but he delivered a commanding victory in Kano—Nigeria’s most populous northern state.

The NNPP also clinched the Kano governorship and a majority in the state House of Assembly, consolidating Kwankwaso’s regional base.

The significance of the meeting has not gone unnoticed by political observers. With the next general election just over two years away, the encounter between Tinubu and Kwankwaso has stirred speculation about potential coalition talks, strategic defections, or even policy negotiations between former rivals.

Presidency sources contacted by reporters declined to reveal the agenda or content of the discussion, maintaining the meeting was strictly confidential.

As Nigeria’s political terrain begins to shift ahead of the 2027 polls, Monday’s high-level interaction may prove a pivotal moment in shaping alliances—especially in the contest for votes across the politically vital northern region.