EXCLUSIVE: Tinubu Consulted Ganduje Before Meeting Kwankwaso – Abdulmumin Jibrin
By Adnan Mukhtar
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has expressed his displeasure over last Monday’s meeting between his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at his residence in Paris, France.
This was contained in a leaked audio conversation between the Governor and Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, Tinubu’s Vice President placeholder before the nomination of Sen. Kashim Shettima, now Vice President-Elect.
However, PRNigeria exclusively gathered that Ganduje was consulted by Tinubu, before his meeting with Kwankwaso.
Also, Abdulmumin Jibrin, the first Director General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Management Council and a member-elect of the House of Representatives under the NNPP, who is a close ally of Kwankwaso and was part of the meeting, debunked Ganduje’s claim.
Jibrin told Politics Digest that Ganduje informed him of the matter before the Paris meeting.
Jibrin also confirmed to this newspaper that the governor told him that his only issue with Kwankwaso is how he always attacks him at every opportunity.
“They were friends for decade but I personally told the governor that he is guilty of same and they can sort things out themselves while promising to convey his message to Kwankwaso,” Jibrin told Politics Digest.
In a leaked audio, Ganduje blamed Tinubu for not inviting him and his camp to the meeting even if it was symbolically. But Jibrin debunked the claim, saying the governor is economical with the truth.
“Ganduje personally informed me that president-elect Bola Tinubu consulted him about the meeting and asked whether has an objection but he told him NO”. It is therefore unfair for Ganduje to try to portray the president elect in a bad light, Jibrin added.
Below is the complete transcript of the conversation:
Ganduje : Hello
Ibrahim Masari: Your Excellency
Ganduje: How is work and everything? How is Abuja
Masari: Glory be to God, I just came into Abuja
Ganduje: Kano is all over with noise.
Masari: Excellency, I told you what is going on, but you denied it. What should I say, I told you what’s happening, but you deny it by expressing your suprise over it. How would this be happening, and so on. I kept mute
Ganduje: Even if I heard it, there is nothing I can do about it. Isn’t it?
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Masari: But you can speak to him at that time, you can call him and talk to him.
Ganduje: To tell him what? I can’t do anything since Kwankwaso is an alternative for us. There is no problem
Masari: It doesn’t reach that stage. That’s impossible
Ganduje: Because we don’t have government.
Masari: Are you coming on Thursday?
Ganduje: it’s because of him that we lose reelection.
Masari: You should be patient. Even your enemies know that he wasn’t fair to you.
Ganduje: The right thing is that even if he will grant Kwankwaso audience, it should be in our presence. We should be invited. Did you understand? Even if it is symbolically.
Masari: Excellency, you should be patient. I wish you a safe journey
Ganduje: Everything is in the hand of God
Masari: You’re right
Ganduje: All these calculations
Masari: They are very wrong. Everybody will be scared to work with him
Ganduje: This man did not end well with Jonathan. He gave him work but ended up painting the government as corrupt.
Masari: Yes, you’re right
Ganduje: Because he wasn’t allowed to partake in corruption, it’s not a matter that he was clean.
Masari: What brought the issue of he is clean? The truth of the matter is that they weren’t fair to you. You should just be patient but leave it until you arrive.
We’ve started the discussion, he called me and I told him that Mr. President, you’re wrong. He said, “What have I done again?” He started explaining it to me that it was SLS and Chagaury that led them and so on.. I asked him whether he had spoken to you, and he said no. Is he seeing these things… leave it until you come, you know this conversation on the phone.
I wish you a safe journey. You should just keep mute as you did, maintain your maturity by not speaking on the matter
Ganduje: What securities informed me is that they want his intervention to scuttle the case at the tribunal
Masari: There is that game plan. It’s not his right. You have that right, Excellency.
Ganduje: He’s not showing interest over the matter.
Masari: Excellency, you should let this matter go, I don’t like these conversations on the phone. Allow it when you come tomorrow or next tomorrow, then we sit down and discuss. If the needs arise, we can call him.
Ganduje: When is he coming back?
Masari: Wallahi, I don’t know, we have spoken, not that good, and I even showed him my anger.
