Fresh details have surfaced on why negotiations between the Presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, collapsed after months of behind-the-scenes engagements.
Sources familiar with the discussions said the talks, which featured several meetings in Abuja, stalled after Kwankwaso allegedly made far-reaching demands, including control of 20 per cent of the APC’s national party structure and the vice-presidential slot.
Kwankwaso, leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), was reportedly viewed by the Presidency as a strategic bridge to Kano State and the wider North-west, given the electoral strength of his Kwankwasiyya movement during the 2023 polls.
However, senior APC insiders said his conditions were considered excessive and impractical.
“Even the President does not exercise percentage control over the party. Asking for 20 per cent of the APC nationwide was a deal breaker, and the vice-presidential position was never vacant,” a party source said.
Kwankwaso was also said to have demanded political guarantees extending to the 2031 election cycle, a move negotiators interpreted as overreach.
As talks progressed, the Presidency reportedly began to reassess Kwankwaso’s claim of absolute political control in Kano, particularly amid signs of strain between him and the state governor, Abba Yusuf.
With internal divisions emerging within the NNPP, the APC is said to have recalibrated its strategy, opting to engage Governor Yusuf directly rather than continue negotiations with Kwankwaso.
“That was the turning point. It became more practical to work with the sitting governor than to concede so much to one individual,” another source disclosed.
The shift reportedly weakened Kwankwaso’s negotiating leverage, leaving him increasingly politically isolated.
Meanwhile, a faction of the NNPP led by Dr Boniface Aniebonam accused Kwankwaso of a domineering leadership style that allegedly alienated Governor Yusuf. In a statement, the party’s North-west Vice Chairman, Sani Danmasani, described Kwankwaso’s influence as “suffocating,” claiming internal disputes pushed Yusuf to seek “greener pastures,” an action he described as an escape rather than a betrayal.
The developments underscore deepening cracks within the NNPP and intensifying political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Separately, the Kano State Government said it is close to resolving the lingering emirship crisis in the state. The Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Waiya, said authorities are pursuing a political solution that could result in the emergence of a single, recognised Emir, potentially ending nearly two years of dispute.