I met Tinubu with consent of other G-7 members – Shekarau

• Appeal Court hears suit Dec 16

A former governor of Kano State and leader of the G-7 faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, has opened up on what he discussed with the National Leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Lagos on the crisis rocking the party in Kano State.

Shekarau also punctured the claims that he went to the meeting without the consent of other members of his faction, G-7.

The meeting, on Sunday, between Tinubu and Shekarau, the current senator representing Kano Central, has raised dust in Kano State. 

The just-concluded congresses had polarised the ruling party in the state. The state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s faction is chaired by Abdullahi Abbas while Shekarau’s has Ahmadu Haruna Danzago as chairman.

Operating under the G-7, the Shekarau’s camp has Senator Barau (Kano North), Rep  Shaaban Sharada, Nasiru Auduwa, Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe, Haruna Isa Dederi, among others as key members.

However, in an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Tuesday, Shekarau revealed that it was Tinubu that requested to see him and that he went with the consent of his G-7 members.

“It is untrue that I met Tinubu without the consent of other members of G-7. I went there with their consent,” he said.

He said the former Lagos State governor wanted to know what was happening between him and Ganduje.

“I told him it is not a fight between Ganduje and me; it is rather an issue between the G-7 and leadership of the party in Kano. And our reason for that is because of the way the party is being managed.

“He told me that he heard from Governor Ganduje and wanted to hear from me so that the issue could be resolved. We sat and I briefed him on all that happened from the beginning up to the recent court judgment,” he said.

On if Tinubu’s much talked about presidential ambition was discussed, Shekarau said “There is nothing like supporting him. As I told you, he requested me to see him. So both of us are leaders in the APC, and we have good relations. So with or without this crisis happening in Kano we can meet and discuss issues of our great party.

“He had listened to them and he had also listened to our side, so it is now left for him to act,” said.

Shekarau said they are not against the reconciliation committee of the party under the leadership of a former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, adding that all the parties involved agreed that they should wait for the court’s decision.

“During our discussion with them (Abdullahi Adamu’s committee) it was even Governor Ganduje that advise that the issue of party leadership should be put aside until the final judgment of the court. And we too agreed with that, even the committee members agreed with that,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal has fixed December 16 for the hearing of a motion on stay of execution of an FCT High Court ruling that voided the Kano ward congresses conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who stated this in a statement in Abuja, also revealed that the APC was contesting the jurisdiction of the court to entertain such a case brought before it.

He said the party was seeking an interlocutory injunction that would restrain the respondents from taking steps to give effect to the High Court ruling, pending hearing of the appeal by the appellate court on December 16, 2021.