Former Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has said that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf should not be accused of betrayal if he defects from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
‎
‎Shekarau stated this amid speculations over a possible defection of the governor, which has reportedly generated tension within the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya political movement.
‎
‎In an interview with an online Hausa platform, DCL Hausa, Shekarau said political realignments were personal decisions influenced by prevailing circumstances and consultations.
‎He faulted the recent call by Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, that Governor Yusuf should relinquish his mandate before leaving the NNPP.
‎
‎According to him, such a position contradicts existing political precedents, noting that Kwankwaso himself defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC while serving as governor without vacating his office.
‎
‎“I listened to my brother, Kwankwaso’s remarks. To me, he has either forgotten what happened in the past or he thinks people have forgotten,” Shekarau said.
‎He recalled that Kwankwaso moved from the PDP to the APC with his governorship mandate, adding that the same precedent could apply if Yusuf eventually defects from the NNPP.
‎
‎“When he left PDP for APC, he did not drop the governorship seat. The way he took PDP’s mandate to APC is likely the same way Abba will take the NNPP mandate,” he said.
‎
‎Shekarau added that if such action is now being considered offensive, then the precedent had already been set.
‎The former governor also revisited events surrounding the formation of the NNPP in Kano State, attributing his eventual exit from the party to disagreements over power-sharing arrangements.
‎
‎He said that after he and Kwankwaso defected from the APC to the NNPP, several meetings were held in Abuja and Kano to agree on the sharing of elective positions and appointments among stakeholders.
‎
‎According to him, a committee was constituted to work out the sharing formula, with Governor Yusuf appointed as chairman because he was to emerge as the party’s governorship candidate.
‎Shekarau said the committee failed to deliver its assignment for about three months, after which a list was released that largely excluded his supporters.
‎“Suddenly, a list came out and there was no single person from our side except me,” he said.
‎
‎He added that despite Kwankwaso querying the development, the matter was not resolved, prompting him and his supporters to set up a 30-man committee which eventually recommended their exit from the NNPP.
‎
‎“I rejected the arrangement because I could not take a senatorial ticket alone while my people got nothing,” Shekarau said.
‎
‎He maintained that political decisions, including defection, should not automatically be interpreted as betrayal, especially when leaders consult their followers and act in what they consider their collective interest.
‎“In life, one chooses for himself. If you have tangible reasons and the people you are with are okay with it, that is all,” he said.
‎
‎Shekarau stressed that Governor Yusuf should be allowed to make his choice without being demonised, noting that Kwankwaso had defected severally — from PDP to APC, back to PDP and later to the NNPP.
‎
‎“If Abba has his own reasons and those around him agree, I don’t see any betrayal here,” he said.