President Tinubu Celebrates Kwankwaso at 70, Recalls 34-Year Political Ties

By Lateepha Eniola, Assistant Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulates his friend, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State, one-time Minister of Defence and former Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District, on his 70th birthday on October 21, 2026.

 According to a statement personally signed by President Tinubu, he said: “Senator Kwankwaso and I have had a longstanding association, dating back to our time in the National Assembly in 1992, he in the House of Representatives and I in the Senate, and later in 1999 when we both emerged as governors of our respective states.”

The duo, as members of the Class of ’99 Governors, President Tinubu said, “we both played pivotal roles in laying the foundation for the democracy the nation enjoys today.

 “Shaped by different political choices, our political paths differed until we coalesced in 2013 to form the All Progressives Congress. Since then, history and service have kept us intertwined.

 The President acknowledge Senator Kwankwaso’s immense contributions to Kano State and Nigeria as a two-term Governor, former Minister of Defence, former Senator, former presidential candidate, and now a presidential running mate.

 “Senator Kwankwaso remains an influential figure and a progressive politician. That we are in different political parties and competing on different platforms in the January 2027 election will not remove my affection for Senator Kwankwaso,” President Tinubu said.

As the former governor marks this milestone, President Tinubu wished him good health, personal fulfilment, and many more years of engagement in the nation’s democratic process.