Abba Yusuf’s Aide: Kwankwaso Working for Tinubu Behind the Scenes

Sanusi Bature, spokesperson to Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, has alleged that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), is indirectly advancing President Bola Tinubu’s interests for the 2027 presidential election.

In an interview with Arise News on Wednesday, Bature insisted that the former governor of Kano is working for the president behind the scenes.

“There are those who are working with Tinubu openly, directly in the public space, and there are those who can work for Tinubu behind the scenes,” Bature said.

“I believe whatever Kwankwaso is doing will favour Tinubu at the end of the day because Kwankwaso worked for Tinubu in 2023.

“I’m a member of the APC; I have been the opposition spokesperson in Kano, and I know what happened in 2023. I believe Kwankwaso is working for Tinubu in 2027 behind the scenes.”

He added that any potential political arrangement between Kwankwaso and Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), would be short-lived and unsustainable amid shifting alliances in Kano politics.

“The NNPP is no longer a formidable platform for 2027,” he said.

“There was an agreement among critical stakeholders, including Rabiu Kwankwaso, to find a lasting solution ahead of 2027 because the NNPP cannot fly on its own.”

He said key actors in Kano, with Kwankwaso’s consent, identified the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “Option A” for realignment, with the aim of facilitating broader participation, including potential roles in the federal executive council (FEC).

Bature claimed that Kwankwaso initially pushed for a direct meeting with President Tinubu to discuss political negotiations.

He noted that the former governor allegedly cancelled a scheduled appointment with the president, citing a trip to China and never rescheduled.

On speculation of a Kwankwaso-Obi alliance, Bature said he does not see the partnership working between the two politicians.

“A Peter Obi-Kwankwaso ticket in Kano is strange. Kwankwaso, a PhD holder, deputising Obi, who only holds a first degree, doesn’t look like the Kwankwaso we know. I don’t see this partnership working,” he said.

He argued that such a ticket would underperform significantly in Kano, despite Kwankwaso’s strong showing in the 2023 elections.

“Kwankwaso alone under NNPP was able to secure over a million votes in Kano in 2023. But believe me, in 2027, with Obi as presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as vice presidential candidate, that ticket cannot secure one million votes in Kano,” Bature said.