How Tinubu Is Keeping an Eye on His Second Term Ahead of PDP, Peter Obi, Others
Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, has started keeping an eye on his second-term ambition as he prepares for the May 29 inauguration, ahead of opposition parties and politicians such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party today.
Many political pundits have described Tinubu as a strategist who has the ability to change the game at the eleventh hour, and he started displaying this ahead of the second term campaign when he had not been sworn in for the first term.
Source: Twitter
While his opponents are fighting against his victory at the 2023 presidential election petition tribunal, Tinubu is keeping his eye on the ball ahead of the 2027 elections.
The president-elect has made two major moves that can be described as making a smooth ground for himself in the 2027 election. The moves are explained below:
Tinubu, Kwankwaso meeting and possible re-alliance with Ganduje
No serious politician in Nigeria of today will joke with Kano votes, and in getting the northwest state's votes, that politician needs Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
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Tinubu, seeing Kano as one of the major states he would need to win the 2023 election, met with Kwankwaso in France and put the political life of his strong ally, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, in danger.
Source: Twitter
This is because Kwankwaso not only has Kano state government, but he also has the majority of the state house of assembly, 19 out of 24 House of Representatives seats in the state and two senators going into 2027 with him.
Also, Kano contributed about 1.7 million votes in the 2023 election, with Kwankwaso getting about 1m of the votes. Tinubu would be determined to flush it out in the 2027 election, and Kwankwaso is the only gateway to the in-road.
In his reaction to the debate, Adeleke Babatunde, a political commentator, posited that the move is a good move if it is in the interest of the nation.
He said:
When we look at it devoid of party colouration, the move by the president-elect is a good one, altruistic, in fact. If the aim is to really take Nigeria forward, then all hands must be on deck if the hand is that of an opposition contender, even more so. Kwankwaso had a brilliant manifesto, if there are ways to actualize that and glean from his experience, the president-elect needs to hear it and check the possibilities.
After former president Obasanjo triumph at the polls, he held similar meetings. As long as it is in the interest of the nation, it works.
Tinubu settles Wike, Abe's rift
Shortly after his announcement as winner of the February 25 presidential election, the president-elect had a state visit to Rivers and settled the long-term political rift between Governor Nyesom Wike and Magnus Abe.
Rivers state has political and economic values in the polity, and Tinubu also needs a clear inroad into the state in the 2027 election.
Wike, the outgoing governor of Rivers state, is a strong political figure in Rivers as he proved his political relevance to Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, through the aggrieved G5 governors.
Abe is a two-term senator of Rivers South East, a governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and a strong campaigner for Tinubu's presidency in the 2023 general elections.
Babatunde further said:
The rift between Magnus Abe and Nyesom Wike is political, and via the G5 and several other backdoor integrations, the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is the hottest political property in the country right now.
Magnus has left the APC to pick up the ticket for the SDP in 2022. Asiwaju can call him to order. The president, like at several other times, just played the peacemaker role. He did it on the campaign trail, and he is still doing it.
May 29: Former UK PM Blair meets Tinubu, Shettima
Legit.ng earlier reported that Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, has met with the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, at the Defence House in Abuja.
Tinubu met with the former UK leader on Tuesday alongside the vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima and speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The president-elect revealed he discussed areas of mutual benefits with the former UK leader and how Nigeria can continue to benefit from the relationship.
Source: Legit.ng
