Kwankwaso, Adeleke Set To Rejoin APC As Tinubu Fumigates NWC

President Bola Tinubu may have commenced restructuring of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) to pave the way for former Kano State governor, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, to rejoin the party.

A source in the APC confirmed to THE WHISTLER that President Tinubu’s appointment of the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, as board chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), is the first step toward the president’s “sanitation” of the APC NWC.

According to the source, most members of the APC NWC will leave alongside Ganduje as Tinubu intends to appoint them to various government positions to pave the way for a new NWC leadership of the party. A meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) will be convened as soon as the appointments are concluded.

“Most of the APC NWC leaders are going, and Tinubu is preparing for change. The NEC meeting is likely to be held soon.

“The chairmanship will go to North-Central but no one knows the state in North-Central. Before any NEC meeting is held, the president will finish with the appointment first,” the source said.

Regarding Kwankwaso’s expected return to the APC, the source confirmed that the major obstacle had been the current party chairman, Ganduje, who is a political rival of Kwankwaso.

“You know before now, it was Ganduje that blocked him, but with this appointment now, the moment he (Ganduje) leaves the chairmanship of the party, Kwankwaso will come if he’s still interested. The problem has been Ganduje; as long as he remains the chairman, Kwankwaso won’t want to come back,” he said.

“If Ganduje remains as national chairman, he would outrank and place Kwankwaso under him. Naturally, Kwankwaso wouldn’t want the APC to be under Ganduje’s control. If Ganduje is there, Kwankwaso must be answerable to Ganduje for every decision, which wouldn’t sit well with him. He won’t be comfortable with that until Ganduje leaves,” the party source added.

He further revealed that political realignments are expected in some states ahead of the 2027 general election, with some members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expected to join the APC.

He mentioned Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, a former member of the APC, as one of those expected to rejoin the party.

However, the APC leaders in Osun are said to be resisting the move, and this has created problems within the state’s party,

“In some states, there are PDP members looking to defect to the APC. Take Osun State, for example, its governor is interested in joining the APC, but the APC leadership in the state strongly opposed it. It’s become a serious problem there, with party leaders insisting that he should remain where he is.”

Meanwhile, sources in Kwankwaso’s camp who spoke to THE WHISTLER have welcomed Ganduje’s imminent exit as the APC national chairman.

The source said Kwankwaso and his supporters are likely to take advantage of Ganduje’s removal to rejoin the APC.

“Although we are unsure of Tinubu’s intentions, Kwankwaso and his supporters would welcome Ganduje’s exit from APC leadership, as it would create an opportunity for us to step in. The main obstacle for Kwankwaso is that he doesn’t want Ganduje as his leader, he has always seen himself as the leader in Kano, and that is why he stayed away,” the source revealed.

“Some APC members in Kano are also expecting Kwankwaso to make a move alongside Governor Abba Yusuf. If they join the party, either Kwankwaso or Governor Yusuf will automatically emerge as the party leader in the state. Since the current governor is Kwankwaso’s ally, the governor would naturally assume leadership, as they would be moving together,” he said.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that efforts are underway to broker peace between Kwankwaso and Ganduje. The top shots involved in their reconciliation efforts include Murtala Sule Garo, former deputy governor of the state, Baffa Babba DanAgundi, former chairman of KAROTA, and Abdulmuminu Jibrin Kofa, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kiru and Bebeji local governments.

The prolonged political rivalry between Kwankwaso and Ganduje has reportedly been a concern for Kano residents. Many believe the rift has hindered the state’s development.

Ganduje, who served as Kwankwaso’s deputy governor between 1999 and 2003 and later as the latter’s special adviser, assumed the role of APC National Chairman on August 3, 2023.

He was said to be initially unhappy with Tinubu’s plans to edge him out of the APC leadership.