Barely two months after a former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, joined the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the Shura Council, the highest decision making body of his political structure, will determine whether or not to leave the party tomorrow.
Shekarau, a former two-term governor of Kano State and current senator for Kano Central, had decamped from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the NNPP led by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, also a former governor of the state, in June this year with thousands of his supporters, a move many described as a major step in the party’s aim to sack APC in Kano State.
He was thereafter offered an automatic return ticket to the Senate after his defection. However, it was observed that none of his associates was offered ticket for any elective position by the party in the list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It was gathered that Shekarau and his associates continually demanded that the party implement the terms of agreement it reached with them before their defection, among which was nomination tickets for an unspecified number of the former governor’s associates.
However, following the official closure of substitution of candidates by the electoral umpire and the NNPP not yielding to Shekarau’s demand, the horse-trading entered a new gear, with many other political parties, including the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reaching out to Shekarau to consider joining them.
An associate of the former governor, who is a member of the Shura Council, told our correspondent that the automatic ticket offered Shekarau to return to the senate was not part of the demands they made before joining NNPP.
He said the party had probably decided that having Shekarau run for the Kano Central senatorial district would be an advantage for them.
He, however, said the party’s decision to ignore the main demands by the Shura Council had been considered a red flag from the beginning of the union.
Confirming the development, spokesman to Shekarau, Dr Sule Yau Sule, said it was true that both the APC and PDP had been making overtures to his boss and that it was based on that the Shura Council met on Sunday where Shekarau briefed members of the council on the proposals from both parties and the challenges with the NNPP.
Sule said that at the meeting, several people spoke for and against joining both the PDP and the APC, and that afterwards a 30-member committee was set up to look into the development and recommend the way forward.
“The 30-member committee will present its recommendations this Thursday. So, it is after that our next line of action will be made public,” he said, adding that the council was also considering reaching out to the national leadership of the NNPP, as such “it is not entirely true that we are mulling exit.”
He further said the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu as well as the vice presidential candidate of the APC, met with Shekarau in the last few weeks with their different proposals, adding that the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was also billed to meet with Shekarau later this week on the same issue.
On the insinuation that Shekarau has already decided on moving to PDP and was only held back by a disagreement in the Shura Council, his spokesman said, “No! Actually, that story might have emanated from the PDP people because they wanted us more than any other place. They are the ones throttling everything.
“So many opinions were expressed there (Shura Council meeting). Some were of the opinion that we stay, some said we go to PDP while some were of the opinion not to go to PDP.
“A committee was now called to collect all these views and then filter them and come up with a better position,” he said.
He also said it was not true as reported (not by Daily Trust) that bigwigs of the NNPP, including the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Abba Yusuf (Abba Gida-Gida), came to see Shekarau and he did not grant them audience.
“Abba is even in Ondo State if you don’t know. Find out. He has been out of the North for the past one week. That’s not true (that Shekarau did not grant him audience). He even lost his grandmother and could not even stay for the condolence. He is over there doing something for Kwankwaso in one of the Western states.
“On Saturday, Oga (Shekarau) even wanted to go and condole with him, but when he called he said he’s not even in town,” Dr Sule clarified.
Reacting, Bature Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, the spokesman for Abba Gida-Gida, said the report that his boss was turned down by Shekarau was nothing but a figment of imagination of political traducers.
“For the record, my boss, H.E. Abba K. Yusuf, has been out of town in the last few days for an official assignment in Akure, Ondo State.
“As far as I know, the governorship candidate maintains a cordial relationship with Sen Ibrahim Shekarau. He respects him as a political leader. I am not aware of any attempt to meet Sen Ibrahim Shekarau that was turned down; not in my records, please.
“Kindly disregard such information. It’s the handwork of mischievous politicians who are all out to set NNPP on fire. I am pretty sure they will not succeed Insha Allah,” he said.
He remains our member – NNPP
Meanwhile, the chairman of NNPP in Kano, Umar Haruna Doguwa, said contrary to the news making the rounds, Shekarau remained a bona fide member of the party.
He said the former governor had continued to participate in party events either directly or through his associates and that no one had told him that Shekarau was dissatisfied with the arrangements within the party.
We are optimistic he will join us – PDP
Also commenting on the development, Suleiman Yusuf Dambatta, the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in Kano State, said the party was optimistic that Shekarau would come back to them.
He said as a former governor and serving senator, they believed Shekarau would see reason to “join the winning team” not just for himself, but the good of his associates, Kano State and Nigeria at large.
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