{"id":130198,"date":"2026-10-21T22:24:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T21:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=130198"},"modified":"2026-10-21T22:24:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T21:24:05","slug":"tinubu-hails-kwankwaso-at-70-says-political-rivalry-wont-end-their-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/tinubu-hails-kwankwaso-at-70-says-political-rivalry-wont-end-their-friendship\/","title":{"rendered":"Tinubu Hails Kwankwaso at 70, Says Political Rivalry Won\u2019t End Their Friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Bola Tinubu has congratulated former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on his 70th birthday, describing him as a longtime friend whose political differences with him would not diminish their personal relationship.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement issued by the State House on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Tinubu reflected on his decades-long association with Kwankwaso, dating back to 1992, when both men served in the National Assembly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While Kwankwaso represented a constituency in the House of Representatives, Tinubu served in the Senate. Both later became governors in 1999, joining the first set of elected state governors under Nigeria\u2019s Fourth Republic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cAs members of the Class of \u201999 Governors, we both played pivotal roles in laying the foundation for the democracy the nation enjoys today,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tinubu recalled that their political paths crossed again in 2013 when they joined forces with other opposition figures to establish the All Progressives Congress (APC).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said their shared political history and years of public service had kept them connected despite subsequent differences.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cHistory and service have kept us intertwined,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tinubu also acknowledged Kwankwaso\u2019s contributions to national politics, citing his two terms as governor of Kano State, his service as Minister of Defence, his representation of Kano Central in the Senate and his participation in previous presidential elections.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He described the former governor as \u201can influential figure and a progressive politician.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite their current political differences, Tinubu said the relationship they had built over the years would endure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThat we are in different political parties and competing on different platforms in the January 2027 election will not remove my affection for Senator Kwankwaso,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kwankwaso, a leading political figure in Kano State and founder of the Kwankwasiyya movement, remains an influential force in the state\u2019s politics. He is currently associated with the New Democratic Congress (NDC) as its vice-presidential candidate, according to the political alignment referenced in the statement.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tinubu\u2019s birthday message comes as political parties and their candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The President\u2019s tribute highlights a longstanding political relationship that has endured shifting alliances and competing ambitions, with Tinubu insisting that the prospect of electoral rivalry will not erase their personal ties.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lizzy Chirkpi President Bola Tinubu has congratulated former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on his 70th birthday, describing him as a longtime friend whose political differences with him&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - 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