Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, a Nigerian politician from Ekiti State in the south west of Nigeria, has dismissed claims that he recently held a private, closed-door meeting with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso at his home in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
In a statement issued on Thursday, 29 January 2026, and signed by Ahmad Sajoh, who heads his media office, Fayemi described the report as false and asked the public to ignore it. Okay News reports that the claim spread widely online after it appeared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The statement explained that the online posts were shared with an old video clip showing Fayemi welcoming Kwankwaso at his residence, which some users presented as evidence of a fresh political meeting.
Fayemi, who previously served as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), a body made up of the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states, said he had not met Kwankwaso in the manner suggested. According to his media office, the two men have met only once in the past year and it was not a private political engagement.
“Kayode Fayemi has only met Rabiu Kwankwaso once in the last year, and that occasion was at the public book launch of former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN),” the statement said.
It added that, “At no time has Kayode Fayemi held, or is he holding, any closed-door political meeting with Rabiu Kwankwaso as suggested by the post.”
The former Ekiti governor also acknowledged that he and Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State in north west Nigeria, have been friends since their time as governors. However, he stressed that their relationship is personal and not tied to any political party or alliance, describing it as rooted in mutual respect and a shared desire to see Nigeria make progress.
Fayemi further warned against attempts to turn private relationships into partisan stories, noting that many of his friends and associates either do not participate in party politics or belong to different political groups. His media office said his network of associates “span the entire spectrum” of the country’s politics and reaffirmed his commitment to national unity, principled engagement, and responsible public discussion.
