2027: Kwankwaso, el-Rufai meeting targeting Tinubu’s Presidency – Yerima Shettima

In a significant move amidst ongoing political realignments, Presidential candidate of he the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso met with immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, on Thursday, in Abuja.

Reactions have followed this meeting from various political quarters. Both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President-General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, have shared their perspectives in separate discussions. Kwankwaso confirmed the meeting via X, stating, “Pleased to pay a cordial visit to my former colleague, H.E Nasir El-Rufai, at his residence, in Abuja, today.”

While the specifics of their conversation remain undisclosed, a source close to the situation suggested that the meeting was “part of rebuilding old ties and alliances that could lead to a political collaboration ahead of the 2027 general election.”

An anonymous APC chieftain described the meeting as ‘a gathering of discontented individuals seeking to regain political relevance’.

READ ALSO: https://newsstrike.com.ng/2024/06/28/efcc-arrests-117-for-internet-fraud-in-lagos/
This marks the first public encounter between el-Rufai, a key campaign figure for President Bola Tinubu, in 2023, and Kwankwaso, who placed fourth in the same election, since the last presidential race.
Although el-Rufai is still an APC member, his relationship with the Party’s leadership soured following the Senate’s rejection of his ministerial nomination. Both el-Rufai and Kwankwaso are currently engaged in significant political battles within their respective states.
The conflict over the Kano Emir seat and the opposition against former governor Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje have intensified the longstanding feud between Kwankwaso, who leads the NNPP-led Kano government, and Ganduje, the APC national chairman.
In Kaduna, el-Rufai is at odds with his successor, Governor Uba Sani. This conflict culminated in the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicting el-Rufai for allegedly siphoning ₦432 billion, a charge he is contesting in court.
el-Rufai has been on a series of political visits recently. He met with former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Daura home in Katsina State, visited the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruk Umar, and paid condolence visits to the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, and Lawal Sani Sade, MD of Duke Oil, in Daura.
He also visited Governor Dikko Umar Radda at the Government House in Katsina.

READ ALSO: https://newsstrike.com.ng/2024/06/28/gov-sanwo-olu-spotted-wearing-n195m-wristwatch-at-davidos-wedding/
el-Rufai’s visit to Buhari followed closely on the heels of a similar visit by former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in 2023, Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku had also met with former military president Gen Ibrahim Babangida and former head of state Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Prior to these visits, el-Rufai held meetings with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) leadership in March, sparking rumors of a possible departure from the APC.
Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, has described the visits by Atiku and el-Rufai to Buhari as a ‘strategic move’ to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Responding to the recent meeting between Kwankwaso and el-Rufai, AYCF President General Yerima Shettima said, “el-Rufai has the fundamental right to associate and visit whomever he chooses. However, these visits by opposition party members certainly carry political implications.
“el-Rufai’s visit to the SDP and his recent meetings with former President Muhammadu Buhari and NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, undoubtedly have political motives, possibly aimed at unseating the incumbent president. Whether these visits will achieve political success remains to be seen,” Shettima remarked.

.