APC ready to receive Kwankwaso — Yilwatda

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the ruling party remains willing to welcome former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, into its fold.

Yilwatda said the APC’s doors remain open to the opposition figure, even though no formal talks are currently underway.

“Our doors are still open for Kwankwaso to join the APC. If he comes, he’s most welcome, though we are not yet in negotiation with him,” he said.

Speaking during an interview on Trust TV on Sunday, he revealed that Kwankwaso’s comments come amid shifting political alliances in Kano State, following the recent defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the NNPP to the APC.

Several members of the State House of Assembly and the House of Representatives also moved to the ruling party alongside the governor.

The development has fuelled speculation that the APC is working to strengthen its grip on Kano, considered a key state ahead of the 2027 general election.

Yilwatda also defended President Bola Tinubu’s frequent foreign trips, describing them as strategic engagements aimed at boosting Nigeria’s global profile, attracting investments and enhancing security partnerships.

According to him, the President’s experience and international connections enable him to achieve in days what others might take years to accomplish.

He maintained that the trips should be seen as acts of service to the nation rather than personal indulgence, stressing their importance in driving economic growth and securing bilateral agreements for the country.