Shekau confirms exit from PDP, joins APC
By Chizitelu Munachimso
Speculations about the political status of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, former Governor of Kano State, were laid to rest on Friday as he formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the last one week there had been confusion as to whether Shekarau remained a member of the People Democratic Party (PDP) or he had crossed over to the APC. There confusion arose from reports that the former Governor who had defected from the APC to the PDP in 2014, had returned to his former party. Shekarau on Tuesday tweeted that contrary to speculations, her remained a member of the PDP.
“I’m still in @OfficialPDPNig, the #PDPKano consultation is still ongoing. H.E #IbrahimShekarau, Sardaunan Kano denied dumping PDP so far,” he said on his Tweeter handle.
On Friday however, Shekarau laid the rumour to rest. After meeting with APC National chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and other officials of the party as well Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, Shekarau formally announced that he was joining the APC.
“I have said it before that any history of APC without the name of Shekarau is never complete, because I have the singular honor of been the chief midwife of the party, ” Shekau said amid chants of “APC”, “APC”, “APC” by the crowd of supporters who had thronged his Mundubawa residence in Kano.
Responding to Shekarau’s comment, Oshiomohle said that the former governor’s return to the APC was a matter of reunion rather than defection as Shekarau is one of the founding father of the party.
from available record, no one was more progressive than Shekarau, “whose records while in power preceded that of others”. The APC chairman added:
“I am most delighted to be at your residence to officially welcome you back to our great party the APC, the party you assisted to form. We know that you would have not committed great amount of efforts in the formation of the All Progressive Congress right from the beginning if you didn’t believe in it, but due to some issues, you had to leave.
“I have always said that, going forward, the real Progressive would unite and the conservatives would move away. The Conservatives have moved away and that offers us a new opportunity for the real Progressives to reunite. I have come to pay my respect to you your excellency, to look forward to working with you and the Governor of the state whose Progressive credentials are also well known.
The APC chairman said Shekarau’s return would boost the fortunes advance the position of the party in Kano State and Nigeria in general.
Also speaking at the occasion Governor Ganduje in an oblique reference to Rabiu Kwankwaso, his predecessor at the Kano State Government House who recently returned to the PDP from the APC, said, “the same Hyena and Lion that drove the former Minister out of the APC, followed him to the PDP”. He added that he and Shekarau I shared same principles, ideology, and were both bureaucrats.
Ganduje said he had always maintained a relationship with the former governor as a good friend and brother and as a result is happy to receive him back into their fold.
“Today, our dreams have come true, a friend and a brother has returned to us. Together we would move the state forward for the development of our people,” Ganduje said.
