BY: Abimbola Success & Quadri Yahya
Claim:
Several social media posts claim that Nigerian politician Rabiu Kwankwaso has left his party and met with President Bola Tinubu to discuss a possible move to the ruling party, All Progressive Congress.
Verdict: The bigwig of the New Nigeria People Party, Kwankwaso has debunked the rumored defection.
Full Text:
A video that began circulating on social media in April 2025, showing Rabiu Kwankwaso and President Bola Tinubu exchanging pleasantries and posing for photos, has been confirmed to be from 2023.
Some social media users allege the video depicts a recent private meeting between Kwankwaso and Tinubu.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State in northern Nigeria, is a prominent figure in the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and was its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
However, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged victorious.
Rumors of Kwankwaso meeting with Tinubu surfaced shortly after several NNPP members defected to the APC. Some social media posts suggest Kwankwaso is also considering leaving the NNPP, while others go further, claiming he has already joined the APC, citing photos of him with Tinubu as evidence.
An X user (@Onsogbu) with 50 thousand followers earlier shared a picture of Kwankwaso in Tinubu’s styled cap.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica reports that Kwankwaso took to X to deny this recent allegation.
“My attention has been drawn to a statement purportedly stating my position on the recurring political realignments in Nigeria.
“I wish to categorically state that such statements are false, unfounded, and products of political mischief.
“I have refrained from commenting on contemporary political events and I will continue to do so for the time being.
“In this regard, I urge the public to only engage statements that come from my public handles and other official sources. – RMK”, the NNPP chieftain wrote.
Furthermore, FactCheckAfrica found that the picture used to claim that Kwankwaso now wears Tinubu styled cap has been digitally altered.
Conclusion:
The defection rumour of the NNPP leader trails behind political realignment in recent times. However, Kwankwaso is yet to jump party-ship as social media users claimed.
