The National Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Senator Musa Kwankwaso, on Wednesday inaugurated the party’s office in Ibadan, establishing its presence in the Oyo State capital ahead of the 2027 general election.
The NNPP national leader paid Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde a courtesy call while in Ibadan.
The two leaders met behind closed doors at the Government Secretariat in Ibadan, and while the outcome of the meeting was not disclosed, it was thought to have something to do with strengthening the friendly relationship that has existed between Kwankwaso and Makinde for a long time.
Members of Kwankwaso’s entourage included Dr. Ajid Ahmed, the NNPP National Chairman; Najipo Johnson, the National Publicity Secretary; and other senior party officials.
In an interview with reporters after the meeting, Kwankwaso stated that his meeting with Makinde went beyond partisanship and that his main purpose in Ibadan was to open the NNPP’s new state office as part of initiatives to fortify the party’s unity and organization in Oyo State before the general election in 2027.
He said, “I am here in Ibadan together with the national chairman of our party, NNPP, Dr. Ajid Ahmed, and other party officials to open our office here and discuss important issues relating to our party in Oyo State.”
He added, “But before proceeding to the party office, I felt it was important to pay a courtesy visit to the governor, who has always been our friend. This visit is more about personal friendship than party politics.”
Kwankwaso, who acknowledged Makinde’s membership in the Peoples Democratic Party, noted that he also had deep roots in the PDP before his eventual defection.
He said, “In fact, we formed the PDP in 1998. By 1999, I was elected Governor of Kano State under the PDP and later served as Minister of Defence,” adding that, “I also returned to Kano under the PDP and served in various national and international capacities, including as an envoy in Darfur and Somalia.
Later, Kwankwaso remembered, he joined the All Progressives Congress before joining the NNPP, where he is now the National Leader.
After the inauguration, he said, he and his colleagues would head back to Abuja.
Both leaders characterized the interaction as primarily personal, despite political analysts’ perceptions that the visit was a component of larger conversations and potential realignments in front of the general election in 2027.
