Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, has reportedly tendered his resignation letter as National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), citing health reasons.
However, a reliable source, who happens to be Ganduje’s aide, speaking on condition of anonymity disclosed the real reason for his resignation.
According to the source, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, whom Tinubu is perceived to have long courted, was considering joining the opposition coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“You know Kwankwaso gave the president one condition for rejoining the APC: Ganduje’s removal as national chairman. With Ganduje in charge, Kwankwaso couldn’t assume party leadership in Kano,” the source said.
“We learnt that the president was informed that Kwankwaso had been approached by the Atiku-led coalition and was already considering the offer. That may have triggered Ganduje’s removal,” the source added.
Another source, who also confirmed the Kwankwaso factor, said the upcoming APC congress likely influenced the decision. According to him, Tinubu may have realised that retaining Ganduje would make it harder to bring Kwankwaso and other political heavyweights from various states into the APC. Without state structures to offer, these figures would be unlikely to join.