Takai joins Shekarau in APC

Kano State governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) Salihu Sagir Takai has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

With this development, Takai has reconnected with his former boss and political ally, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of the state.

Takai’s media aide, Abdullahi Musa Huguma, said the defection of his boss followed due consultations with all stakeholders of the 44 local governments of the state.

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It could be recalled that Shekarau had formally defected from PDP to the APC in 2018 with a lot of his followers, including some gubernatorial aspirants under the PDP such as Mustapha Maimansaleta, Bashir Ishaq, Muhammad Bello, Sarki Labaran and Garba Yusuf.

However Takai, whom Mr Shekarau supported in 2011 and 2015 was absent during the declaration of Shekarau’s defection, a situation some analysts saw as indicating the parting of ways between the two political allies.

Takai later joined PRP, where he became the party’s flagbearer during the 2019 governorship election.

Speaking with Daily Trust on the development, the media consultant to Shekarau, Dr Sule Ya’u Sule, said Takai’s return to APC did not come as a surprise to Shekarau’s camp.

“We are not surprised because it is his party; this is where we all belong. This is his home actually. It has been his home and somebody travels always to return back home. So it is a welcome development since he came back safely.

“Simply because he has gone to pursue his political ambition somewhere doesn’t mean parting ways. So many things happened to him within this period in which Malam participated actively. He lost his mother, for instance, and we were all there in full force. So we have never been divided in any way,” he said.