President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday held separate closed-door meetings with former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and former Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meetings come amid growing political developments within the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in Jigawa and Kano states.
Badaru, a former governor of Jigawa State, has recently been involved in a political disagreement with Governor Umar Namadi over the control of the APC structure in the state. The dispute reportedly led to the removal of Badaru’s nominee, Bashir Gumel, as APC National Financial Secretary, with Governor Namadi backing a different candidate for the position.
There have also been speculations that Badaru may consider defecting to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, although the former minister has publicly denied any plans to leave the APC.
Ganduje, who also served as APC National Chairman, is widely expected to remain within the party, with no indication of a possible defection to the ADC coalition.
Meanwhile, political attention in Kano State has focused on the vacant deputy governorship position following the resignation of Aminu Gwarzo. Ganduje is reportedly expected to play a key role in the selection of a replacement, with former commissioner Murtala Garo mentioned among possible candidates, while Kano State House of Assembly Speaker Jibrin Falgore has also been linked to the position.
Although details of Tinubu’s meetings with both political figures were not made public, the engagements are seen as part of ongoing consultations within the APC amid internal party realignments and preparations ahead of the 2027 political cycle.