I Will Remain in APC to Save Party from Collapse, Says Shekarau

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Former Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has declared that he will not leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) to save the party from collapsing.

The former governor, who is the serving senator representing Kano Central in the National Assembly, also said he would not dump the APC until he salvages the people of the state from bad leadership.

Speaking at during the meeting of his Shura Council held at his residence in Kano yesterday, Shekarau said he decided to form a faction within the APC because the principles of internal democracy had been violated by the leadership of the state Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

According to Shekarau, since after the 2019 elections, he had never been involved in the affairs of the APC in the state, adding that even the appointment of some of his political disciples was done without his input.

Shekarau stated that he believes in leadership, and tried to follow Ganduje as the leader of the party in the state, but that the way the governor was handling the party was the reason they felt their patience had been exhausted and were compelled to look for the way forward.

The former governor further stated that he had been “too patient” with Ganduje on how the governor had sidelined him in the party, adding that: “We feel that the party had crossed our line that is why we reacted this way. We have been too patient, so that’s why we have taken this decision to show that being patient is not cowardice.

“We try to follow Ganduje as the leader because we believe in leadership but there are conditions. The conditions are that if the leader makes mistakes he should be corrected. We need internal democracy. He should listen to our advices and suggestions.”

Shekarau narrated that “the governor invited all party leaders of the country, including Adams Oshiomole, the national leader of the party then, to beg me to join APC. I told them to allow me to make consultations. I summoned a meeting of the Shura Council where we took a stand to join the APC. Some of my associates suggested that we should not join APC without agreements. But I prevailed on them to join the party head on

“Not long after I joined the party, the governor bought a nomination form for me and begged me to contest for senator, I refused. In 2015, Senator Lado begged me to contest that he would step down for me, and I declined. Oshiomole and Ganduje begged me profusely to accept the offer to contest for senator, which I eventually obliged.”

The senator continued to narrate that “the governor said he would follow me to submit the form to ensure that I submitted it at the national party secretariat. I presented my campaign schedule to Ganduje to 15 LGAs, but the governor said he will follow me for the campaign. He even invited the local government party chairmen to come to my residence to pay allegiance to me.

“But I also participated in his campaign. I followed him everywhere he went. After all these, from that time, I have never been involved in the party activities. Even some are suspecting me of sidelining them. I have totally been sidelined.

“In terms of appointment, Ganduje has never asked me to bring a candidate. The governor picked some members of my camp to give them appointments and I’m not jealous about that. I even advised them to be honest and obey their leader. I always ask my camp members to be good ambassadors.”