Ganduje Sets To Welcome Kwankwaso To APC, Meets Anyim
The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has expressed his readiness to receive the Presidential Candidate of the New Nigerian People Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso if he agrees to defect to the ruling party.
Ganduje made the statement at a media briefing with some selected media organisations in Kano.
This was shortly before the former Kano governor received a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, at his residence in Abuja on Sunday.
He said, “Nobody will say Kwankwaso is not a good politician, at least he was a two-term Kano Governor, although, in disrupted tenures, he was Minister of Defence, even though he doesn’t know what is defence, and was once a Senator, even though he never said anything throughout his stay there.
“But, if he is willing to decamp to APC, our door is open, especially now that someone from his state is the party chairman, it will be easier for him to lobby.”
When quizzed on why Kwankwaso was shut out from President Bola Tinubu’s list of ministerial nominees, Ganduje disclosed that the NNPP candidate was never given such a promise in the first place.
According to him, he first heard the news from Kwankwaso himself when he returned from his meeting with the President in Paris, France.
“President Tinubu has indeed promised to run a unity government, and he stood by his words. Nyesom Wike, from PDP, is now a Ministerial nominee. But he [Kwankwaso] is the one who said he will be given appointment initially, and not the President himself,” he added.
The APC chairman’s first official media parley is coming four days after his appointment as national chairman of the party at Thursday’s meeting of the National Executive Committee held at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
In the same vein, Ganduje hosted Anyim at his residence in Abuja on Sunday.
Although details of their chat have not been made public, Anyim’s presence at the residence of the APC national chairman has fuelled the growing speculation that he may be planning to decamp to the ruling party.
The former SGF had paid the President an unusual ‘courtesy visit’ at the Presidential Villa in early July.
The leader of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has said he is ready to welcome the New Nigerian People Party’s Presidential Candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, to the ruling party if he decides to join them.
Ganduje made this remark at a press conference with some selected media houses in Kano.
He spoke shortly before he met with a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Anyim Pius Anyim, at his home in Abuja on Sunday.
Ganduje said, “Kwankwaso is a good politician, no doubt. He was a two-term Kano Governor, though not consecutively, he was Minister of Defence, even though he doesn’t know much about defence, and he was a Senator, even though he never contributed anything there.
“But, we are open to receiving him in APC, especially now that someone from his state is the party chairman. It will be easy for him to lobby.”
When asked why Kwankwaso was not included in President Bola Tinubu’s list of ministers, Ganduje revealed that the NNPP candidate was never promised such a thing in the first place.
He said he heard it from Kwankwaso himself when he came back from his meeting with the President in Paris, France.
“He [Kwankwaso] told me that President Tinubu has promised to run a government of national unity, and he kept his word. Nyesom Wike, from PDP, is now a Minister-designate. But it was not the President who said he will give him [Kwankwaso] appointment, it was him who said it,” he added.
The APC leader’s first media interaction came four days after he was appointed as the national chairman of the party at the National Executive Committee meeting held at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Ganduje hosted Anyim at his home in Abuja on Sunday.
The purpose of their meeting has not been disclosed, but Anyim’s visit to the APC national chairman’s residence has sparked rumours that he may be planning to join the ruling party.
The former SGF had earlier visited the President at the Presidential Villa in early July in what he called a ‘courtesy visit’.
