Presidential aide Abdulaziz Abdulaziz has dismissed public concerns surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s recent meeting with Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, July 28, Abdulaziz said there was nothing unusual about the president engaging with opposition figures.
“Politicians talk; it’s not a sin talking across lines. So, the presidency or friends of the president talking to Kwankwaso or the other way round should not be seen as anything strange or looked at with disdain or any suspicion. After all, it’s politics and people align, re-align and shape their political positions,” he said.
Abdulaziz, who serves as the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Print Media, stressed that the relationship between Tinubu and Kwankwaso stretches back more than 30 years.
“There is nothing strange about Kwankwaso talking to the APC or the president or the president talking to him,” he said.
“After all, there is a very longstanding relationship between the two. President Tinubu is somebody who has relationships dating back.
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“He has been in the game for a very long time. Both men were elected as members of the National Assembly during the botched transition of 1993.
“Also, both of them were elected governors in 1999. So, they have had this long political association that you wouldn’t see anything strange if they are now closing ranks and reuniting under any arrangement.”
With less than two years to the 2027 general elections, Kwankwaso’s influence, especially in Kano and the North, is drawing attention from across the political spectrum.
His recent meeting with Tinubu at Aso Villa has further stirred speculations of a potential alliance between the two to counter the opposition coalition being built by Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and others under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Kano remains a key state in presidential contests due to its high voter turnout.
In 2023, Kwankwaso dominated the state, winning 38 out of 44 local government areas and polling 997,279 votes. Tinubu followed with 517,341, Atiku got 131,716, and Obi had 28,513.