President-elect Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election Rabiu Kwankwaso met in Paris.
The meeting which took place in the French capital on Monday, was brokered by Kwankwaso’s ally Abdulmumin Jibrin who was formerly in Tinubu’s camp.
“Yes, they had a meeting,” an impeccable source in Kwankwaso’s camp told newsmen, adding that talks have not been concluded.
According to the source, both men are still in Paris and expected to hold more talks.
When an authoritative source within the Tinubu camp was contacted about the meeting, he said, “It’s true. It was in France they met as reported. It also lends credence to the fact that the man (Tinubu) is alive and well.”
The source also confirmed that the talks were about the possibility of working together as well as about how to reconcile Kwankwaso and Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Another source who was at the meeting said it was expected and that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would be happy to welcome Kwankwaso back to the party especially as he and Tinubu “have always been friends”.
While he is optimistic that the President-elect and Kwankwaso will ultimately work together, he says the reconciliation of the NNPP presidential candidate and Ganduje required much more talks.
But “the main subject is getting Kwankwaso to join a government of national unity,” he said.
Asked if it was possible to see Kwankwaso as a minister under Tinubu, he said, “It is a possibility”.
Tinubu had in the wake of his declaration as the winner of the presidential elections, said he would run a government of national unity – which means giving out positions to the opposition.
The former Lagos State governor defeated Kwankwaso and others to emerge the winner of February’s hotly-contested election.
Monday’s meeting, it was gathered, also discussed developments in the legislative arm ahead of the lawmakers’ inauguration.
The ruling APC had recently unveiled its zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly. But some members of the party are already kicking against it and threatening to work with the opposition to thwart the arrangement.
While both had a fruitful discussion, Kwankwaso and Tinubu are expected to have further consultations with their camps. At the meeting, the duo also reflected on their relationship in the National Assembly as far back as 1992.
As of then, the former Kano State governor was the deputy speaker of the House of Reps while Tinubu was a senator.
Others who attended the meeting include the Speaker of the House of Representative Femi Gbajabiamila; Bola Tinubu’s wife, Remi Tinubu, and Kwankwaso’s wife Salamatu.