DEVELOPING:
Leaked Audio: ‘I feel Betrayed TINUBU met Rabiu Kwankwaso in Paris without my knowledge’
-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State confides in Ibrahim Masari
…I am disappointed I have been dumped by the in-coming administration despite my sacrifices for the party, I’m been treated like an outcast
*“Asiwaju while in France told me over the phone that Kwankwaso’s meeting with him was facilitated by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi through Gilbert Chagoury (a Franco-Lebanese business tycoon and ally of Mr Tinubu)”-Masari
*“It will be difficult for loyal party members to trust the TINUBU administration going forward for having met with Kwankwaso behind me. Kwankwaso blocked my aspiration for re-election as governor of Kano State, he does not deserve a space on the table of APC party at all”
*Fearing backlash in the media, Ganduje recant, saying: “We are asking the general public to disregard a mischievous attempt by social media and online publications in the country to lift a story from a purported phone conversation between Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Ibrahim Kabiru Masari discussing Ganduje’s political relationship with President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu. From all indications, some people who are not comfortable with the long cordiality Tinubu, Ganduje and Masari enjoy are bent on exploiting the situation to their advantage”-Muhammad Garba, Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs
*PLUS: Full Transcripts of Leaked Audio inside word-for-word unedited
*BY SAMSON SHOAGA/GROUP MANAGING Editor, Nigeria & GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICA Senior Investigative Editor
A LOT OF TENSION is being generated in the polity few days before the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, as the successor of the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, going by a leaked audio which surfaced to indicate that Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje is irked by the meeting between Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Progressives Party in the 2023 presidential election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, which held in Paris, France. Ganduje, known to be one of the loyalists of the President-elect, was recorded venting.
It was earlier reported that the duo met in Paris in preparation for the start of the new administration and were reported to have resolved to hold subsequent meetings as they could not conclude on that day.
Evidence from the leaked audio showed Ganduje allegedly had a phone conversation about the meeting with the former vice presidential candidate (placeholder) of All Progressives Congress, Ibrahim Masari in the leaked audio published by Daily Nigerian.
Ganduje was heard expressing his grouse about the meeting, stating that Tinubu was unfair to him for meeting with his rival Kwankwaso.
Masari, in the telephone conversation, urged Ganduje to keep calm and not be angered by the situation at hand.
He also noted that Tinubu’s move to see Kwankwaso behind them was a wrong signal that could prevent people from trusting him. Ganduje further referred to the fallout between Kwankwaso and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan over issues bordering on corruption.
Confirming the antecedent of the meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso, Masari said, “I spoke with Mr President earlier and I lamented to him about the issue. He (Tinubu) told me that it was (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, SLS who arranged the meeting through Gilbert Chagoury (a Franco-Lebanese business tycoon and ally of Mr Tinubu).
“And I asked whether you were informed before the meeting, and he (Tinubu) said no. I will adequately brief you when we meet, you know phone calls are not safe. Just keep exhibiting your maturity by keeping mum,” he added.
*Kano Govt Recant:
In his reaction, fearing Tinubu may have distanced himself away from him for any political appointment, the Kano State government has asked the general public to disregard what it called a mischievous attempt by social media and online publications in the country to lift a story from a purported phone conversation between Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Ibrahim Kabiru Masari discussing Ganduje’s political relationship with President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, in a statement, yesterday, stated that the “exaggerated publicity” on the purported audio clip was the handiwork of paid agents trying to unturn the so-called ‘’conversation’’ with a view to causing disaffection between the two political gladiators.
Garba’s words: “From all indications, some people who are not comfortable with the long cordiality Tinubu, Ganduje and Masari enjoy are bent on exploiting the situation to their advantage.
“The governor and the president-elect have since realised this mischievous attempt to cause disaffection between them, and would not allow this sound working relationship which has been waxing stronger particularly at this critical time to be destroyed by some self-centered individuals.”
The Commissioner, however, called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the general public to disregard such attempt and remain calm and loyal to the party to ensure the successful inauguration of the president-elect.
In a leaked phone conversation between Ganduje and Masari, a former placeholder presidential candidate of the APC, the governor is heard lamenting how he was unfairly treated by the president-elect after meeting with the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, presidential candidate, Sen. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.
The governor is also heard saying the calculation by Tinubu in meeting with Kwankwaso was inaccurate.
Recall that Tinubu and Kwankwaso allegedly met for hours in France, discussing a wide range of issues.
This development has continued to raise dust and has become a subject of interest across the country especially among politicians.
*BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE LEAKED AUDIO CONVERSATION:
Ganduje: Hello
Ibrahim Masari: Your Excellency
Ganduje: How is work and everything? How is Abuja
Masari: Glory be to God, I just came into Abuja
Ganduje: Kano is all over with noise.
Masari: Your Excellency, I told you what is going on, but you denied it. What should I say? I told you what’s happening, but you denied it and Ganduje: Even if I heard it, there is nothing I can do about it. Isn’t it?
Masari: But you can speak to him at that time, you can call him and talk to him.
Ganduje: To tell him what? I can’t do anything since Kwankwaso has become an alternative to us. There is no problem.
Masari: It hasn’t reached that stage. That’s impossible
Ganduje: Because we don’t have government?
Masari: Are you coming on Thursday?
Ganduje: It’s because of him that we lose reelection.
Masari: You should be patient. Even your enemies know that he wasn’t fair to you.
Ganduje: The right thing is that even if he will grant Kwankwaso audience, it should be in our presence. We should be invited. Did you understand? Even if it is symbolically.
expressed surprise over it. How would this be happening, and so on?
Masari: Your Excellency, you should be patient. I wish you safe journey
Ganduje: Everything is in the hands of God
Masari: You’re right
Ganduje: All these calculations
Masari: They are very wrong. Everybody will be scared to work with him
Ganduje: This man did not end well with Jonathan. He gave him work but ended up painting the government as corrupt.
Masari: Yes, you’re right
Ganduje: Because he wasn’t allowed to partake in corruption, it’s not a matter that he was clean.
Masari: What brought the issue of he is clean? The truth of the matter is that they weren’t fair to you. You should just be patient but leave it until you arrive.
We’ve started the discussion, he called me and I told him that Mr. President, you’re wrong. He said, “What have I done again?” He started explaining it to me that it was SLS and Chagaury that led them and so on.. I asked him whether he had spoken to you, and he said no. Is he seeing these things. Leave it until you come, you know this conversation on the phone is unsafe.
I wish you a safe journey. You should just keep mute as you did, maintain your maturity by not speaking on the matter
Ganduje: What intelligence told me is that they want his intervention to scuttle the case at the tribunal
Masari: There is that game plan. It’s not his right. You have that right, Excellency.
Ganduje: He’s not showing interest over the matter.
Masari: Excellency, you should let this matter go, I don’t like these conversations on the phone. Allow it when you come tomorrow or next tomorrow, then we sit down and discuss. If the need arises,we can call him.
Ganduje: When is he coming back?
Masari: Wallahi, I don’t know, we have spoken, not that good, and I even showed him my anger.
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