Kabiru Gaya says meeting with Tinubu followed APC outreach to return to party

Former Kano State Governor Senator Kabiru Gaya has clarified the reasons behind his recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, alongside Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Senator Rufai Hanga.     In an interview with BBC Hausa, Gaya revealed that the meeting was preceded by visits to his residence by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, and former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Both leaders urged him to return to the ruling APC.     Gaya noted that Yilwatda informed him that President Tinubu and other APC leaders fully recognize his past contributions to the party. He emphasized his role as one of the founding members of the APC alongside Tinubu.“We first met to discuss the APC. I was one of those who founded the party. President Tinubu and I were members, and he chaired the committee that selected the party’s symbol,” Gaya said. “We considered different options before choosing the broom. We formed the party, contested the election, and won.”     Following Ganduje’s visit, Gaya received an invitation from the Presidency to meet with Tinubu together with Barau Jibrin and Rufai Hanga. During the meeting, he raised concerns that some founding members of the APC had been neglected after the party gained power.     Gaya stated there were no discussions about specific conditions, promises, or political appointments for their return. Instead, President Tinubu encouraged them to remain committed to the government they helped build.     He attributed his decision to rejoin the APC to patriotism and a desire to continue serving Nigerians. Gaya also noted that the issue of contesting for the Senate is no longer on the table, as primaries have concluded and candidates have emerged. He expressed readiness to accept any responsibility assigned by the APC in the interest of his people.     The meeting comes amid reports of impending defection of the two Kano politicians from the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) back to the APC.   

Former Kano State Governor Kabiru Gaya has explained why he recently met President Bola Tinubu in Abuja alongside Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Senator Rufai Hanga. Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, Gaya said the meeting followed visits to his residence by the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, and former Kano […] Kabiru Gaya explains meeting With Tinubu