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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says his political differences with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State, will not diminish his personal affection for the opposition politician.
Tinubu made the remark on Wednesday in a birthday tribute to Kwankwaso, who turned 70, describing the former Minister of Defence as a longstanding friend and influential figure in Nigeria’s political development.
The President, who is running for a second term on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and running mate to Peter Obi, are currently on opposite sides of the political divide.
But in what appeared to affirm personal friendship over partisan considerations, Tinubu maintained that their political rivalry would not undermine the relationship they had built over more than three decades.
“That we are in different political parties and competing on different platforms in the January 2027 election will not remove my affection for Senator Kwankwaso,” the President declared.
The tribute comes as political activities intensify ahead of the presidential election, with the two politicians from rival camps seeking victory at the polls.
Tinubu recalled that his relationship with Kwankwaso dated back to 1992, when both served in the National Assembly during the aborted Third Republic, with Kwankwaso in the House of Representatives and himself in the Senate.
He noted that their political paths crossed again in 1999 when they were elected governors of Kano and Lagos states, respectively, at the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
According to the President, their shared experience as members of the pioneering class of governors in the current democratic dispensation helped forge a relationship that has endured despite their subsequent political disagreements.
“Senator Kwankwaso and I have had a longstanding association, dating back to our time in the National Assembly in 1992, he in the House of Representatives and I in the Senate, and later in 1999 when we both emerged as governors of our respective states.
“As members of the Class of ’99 Governors, we both played pivotal roles in laying the foundation for the democracy the nation enjoys today”, Tinubu stated.
The President also reflected on their political journey, acknowledging that although they took different political routes over the years, circumstances brought them together in 2013 when they formed the APC.
“Shaped by different political choices, our political paths differed until we coalesced in 2013 to form the All Progressives Congress. Since then, history and service have kept us intertwined”, he said.
Tinubu further acknowledged Kwankwaso’s contributions to governance and national development, particularly his service as a two-term governor of Kano State, Minister of Defence, senator and presidential candidate.
The President, who recognised Kwankwaso’s current position as a vice-presidential candidate, described him as an important political figure whose contributions to the nation’s democratic evolution deserved acknowledgement irrespective of partisan affiliations.
“I must acknowledge Senator Kwankwaso’s immense contributions to Kano State and Nigeria as a two-term Governor, former Minister of Defence, former Senator, former presidential candidate, and now a presidential running mate.
“Senator Kwankwaso remains an influential figure and a progressive politician,” Tinubu said.
Kwankwaso, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) platform, is now seeking the vice-presidency alongside Obi on the NDC platform in the January 2027 election.
The President wished Kwankwaso continued good health and fulfilment, expressing hope that he would remain actively involved in the country’s democratic process.
“As the former governor marks this milestone, I wish him good health, personal fulfilment, and many more years of engagement in the nation’s democratic process”, Tinubu stated.
