President Bola Tinubu is considering Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso as a potential running mate for the 2027 presidential election, sparking speculation about a possible replacement for Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Credible sources in Abuja say Tinubu’s political camp is actively courting Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), to return to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

A source close to the development said the move has gained significant support among party stakeholders who believe Kwankwaso’s influence in the North, especially through the Kwankwasiyya movement, could boost Tinubu’s re-election chances.

“Kwankwaso is being wooed to return to the party and has already visited the President.

“He has what the President and our party need to ensure smooth re-election for President Bola Tinubu,” the source told Business Day.

The source also linked the development to the silence of APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, at a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe State, where he declined to endorse Shettima.

Observers believe this silence may be strategic, given the growing internal alignments towards Kwankwaso’s return and potential elevation.

Kwankwaso, a former minister of defence and senator for Kano Central, has maintained a significant following across the North-West.

His NNPP controls Kano State, Nigeria’s second-largest voting bloc, with over 5.9 million registered voters in the 2023 elections.

Although his party came a distant fourth in the 2023 presidential poll, Tinubu’s strategists are reportedly betting on Kwankwaso’s grassroots appeal to consolidate the APC’s hold in the region.

Tinubu’s political calculations are said to have been further intensified by the ongoing talks between opposition heavyweights, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

In response to the political realignments, opposition leaders have begun laying the groundwork for a new political party, the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), aimed at unseating Tinubu in 2027.

The coalition includes former senate president David Mark; ex-governors John Odigie-Oyegun, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, and Aminu Tambuwal; as well as Babachir Lawal and Abubakar Malami.

The group has constituted a 15-member Platform Committee to drive the registration process with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after failing to agree on collapsing into any existing party.