President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu consulted Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje before visiting the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in France, according to House of Representatives member-elect Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin.
Last Monday, Tinubu and Kwankwaso allegedly met for four hours in France before a leaked recording began circulating. In the audio, Ganduje is reported to have expressed disapproval of the meeting and said that Tinubu had instead chosen to meet with his estranged benefactor Kwankwaso.
Ganduje stated that Tinubu should consult with him or invite him to the meeting with Kwankwaso in a leaked audio interview with Ibrahim Masari, a former vice presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Jibrin, who was present at the meeting in France, claimed in a Saturday interview with Pressmen that Ganduje confirmed to him that Tinubu had consulted him prior to the meeting.
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“Like every other Nigerian, I was very shocked when I listened to that audio but I think the most important thing is that I want to confirm to you that Governor Ganduje was consulted.
“And he himself confirmed this to me, told me in clear words that the President-elect invited him and told him that he is planning meeting with Kwankwaso and asked he Ganduje if he had any objections to it, and Ganduje told me that he told the President-elect that he has no any objection.
“So it is extremely unfair for the president-elect to be portrayed in bad light before the public by Governor Ganduje who knows very well that the president consulted him before that meeting because he confirmed that to me clearly.
“It is very very unfair to the president-elect, and I do not believe that the Mr president will abandon anyone who supported him… but again, what is paramount is national unity, cohesion and development.”
However, the Kano State government has denied the audio’s authenticity in a statement by the state commissioner of information and internal affairs, blaming it on troublemakers.
