A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Abdulmumin Jibrin, has declared that President Bola Tinubu is well-positioned to secure victory in the 2027 presidential election while hinting at the possibility of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, teaming up with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the House of Representatives member said Kwankwaso who was the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, has not foreclosed talks about joining forces with Tinubu.
“As far as that [joining APC] is concerned, he has always maintained that his doors are open, our doors are open for discussions. Everything is a possibility,” Jibrin stated.
Rumours of Kwankwaso’s possible defection to the APC have lingered since the 2023 elections, but Jibrin insisted that “the door is not closed. He has never said it is closed.”
He, however, admitted that “vested interests” within Kano APC might be stalling the move, citing ambitions for governorship and other political offices.
The lawmaker, who represents Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State and chairs the House Committee on Housing and Habitat, described Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya Movement as “a strong group which cannot be ignored” in Nigeria’s political calculations.
Jibrin also reaffirmed his close ties with President Tinubu, stressing his conviction that the incumbent president will retain power in 2027.
“I believe I cannot see anything that will stop him from winning the elections in 2027. I am a Tinubu person. I like him and he likes me. Irrespective of party affiliation, it has been a great relationship,” he said.
Pressed on whether this meant he would support Tinubu against Kwankwaso, Jibrin replied: “No, I’d choose Kwankwaso and Bola Tinubu to work together, but Tinubu as president.”
Jibrin, who once served as Director-General of the Bola Tinubu Support Group Council before defecting to the NNPP in 2022, has in recent weeks paid visits to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, fueling speculation of an imminent political realignment.
The lawmaker further argued that the South should complete its eight years in power, dismissing claims that the North had been marginalised.
“I actually believe that the South should finish the remaining four years. The North must begin to tell itself the truth and stop working against its own leaders,” he said.
Kwankwaso, who polled 1,496,687 votes in 2023 to place fourth behind Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, has remained a major figure in Nigeria’s political permutations.
His potential alliance with the APC comes amid broader coalition talks involving opposition heavyweights ahead of the 2027 polls.
