Outgoing Kano state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has expressed dismay of the recent post-election romance between the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Recall that Tinubu was reported to have met with Kwankwaso for four hours in France, on a wide range of issues.
Ganduje, in a leaked audio of phone call with the APC placeholder, Ibrahim Masari, lamentedthat he was being treated unfairly by the president-elect by meeting with Kwankwaso.
Ganduje told Masari that the duo’s meeting was the topic of discussion all over Kano.
When Ganduje recalled that Masari had told him of the possibility of such meeting, but that there was nothing he could have done about it, Masari said, “But at that time, you could have spoken with him (Tinubu). You can (sic) call him and talk to him.”
The governor was then heard saying “what could I have told him? Now he (Tinubu) is seeing Kwankwaso as an alternative to us? No problem. Because we don’t have a government? And it’s even because of him (Tinubu) we lost the government in any way.
“Even if he will see him (Kwankwaso), he ought to have called us too. Or don’t you understand, even if symbolically.”
In the audio, Masari, an ally of Tinubu, was then heard pacifying Ganduje and urging him not to be angry over the development.
He asked the governor to remain calm until he visits Tinubu on Thursday and until they meet in Abuja.
“And all these things are from God. And the calculation that he is doing is not even accurate… And this man, how did he end up with Jonathan?” Ganduje said.
It was gathered that the governor left Kano for Abuja late Friday and will hopefully be meeting Masari over the weekend before the former would meet with the president-elect, who has now returned to the country.
When contacted, Abba Anwar, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said he had no authority to speak on the issue.
However, he never denied nor authenticated the veracity of the phone conversation.
Daily Trust investigative team subjected the audio to multiple verification processes, but there was no indication of manipulation.
However, PRNigeria exclusively gathered that Ganduje was consulted by Tinubu, before his meeting with Kwankwaso.
Also, Abdulmumin Jibrin, the first Director General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Management Council and a member-elect of the House of Representatives under the NNPP, who is a close ally of Kwankwaso and was part of the meeting, debunked Ganduje’s claim.
Jibrin told Politics Digest that Ganduje informed him of the matter before the Paris meeting.
Jibrin also confirmed to this newspaper that the governor told him that his only issue with Kwankwaso is how he always attacks him at every opportunity.
“They were friends for decade but I personally told the governor that he is guilty of same and they can sort things out themselves while promising to convey his message to Kwankwaso,” Jibrin said.
