A former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, could leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) this week for New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
If the prediction came to pass, it will be a huge political blow for APC in Kano as two of the political gladiators in the state will now be in the same party, which could leave them with a slim chance of retaining the state in 2023.
Sources said that Shekarau, representing Kano Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly had been in talks with a former governor of the State and national leader of the NNPP, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, to pave way for his final exit from the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2023 elections.
In a frantic effort to forestall Shekarau’s move to NNPP, Kano state sitting Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had visited him last week Friday, a move sources said was aimed at prevailing on Shekarau not to leave APC.
According to PUNCH, Sources in NNPP said Shekarau rebuffed attempts by President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the situation as Ganduje had completely shut him out of the APC in Kano.
A source in NNPP said, “We are discussing with Shekarau and he is disposed towards it because he doesn’t have a future in APC. President Muhammadu Buhari sent governor Ganduje to his house, three days ago to bring him, but he refused to go because Ganduje didn’t give them anything in the Kano State APC structure, from the ward congresses, Local Governments to states, and didn’t carry them along.
“So, seven members of the National Assembly decided to challenge him, that was what started the whole problem. Eventually, there was a court judgment that favoured Shekarau and the stakeholders. They had a parallel state congress that divided the Kano APC. But the Supreme Court gave it to the governor’s faction and decided not to carry them along.
“Shekarau was bitter and it was at the last moment they wanted to bring him over to see Buhari, but he refused to go. He doesn’t have a future in APC, even if he chooses to go back to APC and wins the primary, he won’t defeat our NNPP candidate.”