The All Progressives Congress (APC) has extended an open invitation to Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate under the New Nigeria’s People Party (NNPP), to return to the ruling party and work with President Bola Tinubu. This announcement came from APC’s publicity secretary, Felix Morka, during a Monday interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Show.
Morka addressed the swirling rumors about Kwankwaso’s possible defection to the APC following the resignation of Umar Ganduje as the party’s national chairman. He stated, “He is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anyone who wishes to join APC may join APC, and this is not exclusive to Kwankwaso. As a matter of procedure, our doors are open; we welcome those who want to join our party, who want to work with us, who want to work with the president to achieve the objectives he’s set for his administration.”
Highlighting Kwankwaso’s stature in Nigerian politics, Morka described him as “an elite” and “one of Nigeria’s eminent citizens,” emphasizing his autonomy as a political figure. “If tomorrow, Kwankwaso decides to join APC, we will deal with that as we have responded to others who have made such requests, whether they are governors, members of the National Assembly or regular citizens. The process is the same. We celebrate those who come into our party, and we are hoping to grow even larger than we are already,” he added.
Kwankwaso’s political career has been marked by significant party shifts. Initially a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he defected to the APC in 2013 while serving as Kano’s governor, aiming to promote democratic reforms. In 2018, he reversed course by joining the PDP alongside 13 other APC senators. Ahead of the 2023 elections, Kwankwaso aligned with the NNPP, finishing fourth with over 1.4 million votes.
This invitation from the APC underscores the party’s readiness to embrace political figures from across the spectrum as it continues to consolidate its influence.