President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday night held a closed door meeting with four political associates of a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, ahead of their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

DAILY NIGERIAN gathered that the president had earlier met a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ahmed Muazu, who sources said would soon announce his defection to the ruling party.

Shortly after the meeting, Mr Buhari met a delegation from Kano, which includes a former deputy governor of Kano State, Hafiz Abubakar; a former national treasurer of APC, Bala Gwagwarwa and; a former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Aminu Dabo.

Also present at the meeting, were Engineer Muazu Magaji and Isa Zarewa.

Apart from Mr Zarewa, the quartet of Messrs Abubakar, Dabo, Gwagwarwa and Magaji is Mr Kwankwaso’s top political associates.

Sources said the president welcomed their decision to join the APC to work for his success in 2019.

“The president is very happy with our decision to join the APC to ensure his success at the polls.”

“We are on our way back to APC to restore Kano progressive political legacy, which is not based on blood relationship or imposition,” Muazu Magaji, who attended the meeting, told DAILY NIGERIAN.

Last week, Mr Kwankwaso’s former commissioner of Special Service, Idris Dambazau, dumped his former principal and joined APC.

The exodus in the Kwankwasiyya camp may not be unconnected with the endorsement of Mr Kwankwaso’s son in-law, Abba Yusuf, as the PDP governorship candidate in Kano.