Tinubu meets Ganduje, Badaru amidst ADC onslaught in Kano, Jigawa

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday held separate closed-door meeting with former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and former Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar.

The meetings with the Gnaduje and Badaru, the leaders of APC in Kano and Jigawa States were held against the background of political realignment in the two states which many analysts have said will singificantly impact the furtunes of the ruling APC in the 2027 general election.

In Kano, opposition have been celebrating the defection of the 2023 presidential candidate of New Nigeria’s Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to the opposition All Democratic Congress, ADC.

Kwankwaso defected to the ADC alongside his Kwankwasiya Movement members at a ceremony witnessed by the chifetains of the party in Kano on Monday.

Also, the Yusuf Gawuna, the 2023 governorship candidate of APC has also joined the ADC. And there are fears that some other prominent members of the APC in Kano may join the ADC ahead of the primariries for the 2026 general election.

Analysts have linked the rumpus in Kano APC to the struggle for control of the party bewteen old members and Governor Abba Yusuf who joined the party about two months aga.

Though what the President discussed with him during their meeting in Aso Rock presidential villa on Thursday is not yet in the public domain, Ganduje, a former national chairman of APC, is expected to work to ensure that the APC continue to pull weight in Kano.

He is also expected play a key role in the emergence of a new next deputy governor in the state following the resignation of Aminu Gwarzo, a loyalist of Kwankwaso who had defected to ADC alogside the former presidential candidate.

In Jigawa, there have been rumours that Badaru and his supporters are set to dump the APC for ADC. Indeed, Badaru, a former governor of Jigawa State has been in a running battle with Governor Namadi over APC’s structure in Jigawa.

This was reportedly responsible for the failure Badaru’s nominee, Bashir Gumel, to be returned as as the APC National Financial Secretary at the party’s national convention held last weekend.

Governor Namadi nominated another person who was ratified for the position.

There have been speculations that some loyalists of the former minister have decamped to the ADC.

But Badaru has not indicated that he is ready to dump the APC.

Events of the next few days will reveal what President Tinubu discussed with the two men and if they will be able to ensure the APC stand solid in Kano and Jigawa in spite of the onslaught of the ADC.