Kano: Shekarau backs Yusuf against Kwankwaso

…Ex-governor says defection from NNPP to APC legitimate

A former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau yesterday rose in defence of Governor Abba Yusuf’s decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shekarau said Yusuf’s move “is not betrayal, but a legitimate exercise of his political rights”.

Shekarau’s remarks come in response to criticism from the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who had labeled Yusuf a “betrayer” over his intention to defect from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the APC.

The former Kano governor spoke on a day the Kano chapter of the NNPP affirmed Yusuf as the leader of the party in the state.

He said: “Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf should not be accused of betrayal over his decisions, because political realignments are personal decisions guided by circumstances and consultations.

“I have listened to some of my brother Kwankwaso’s remarks. To me, Kwankwaso has either forgotten what happened in the past, or he thought people had forgotten.

“When he was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he also left with the governorship seat to APC. Why didn’t he drop it for the PDP? The way he took PDP’s seat to APC is likely the same way Abba will take the NNPP seat to APC.”

Shekarau added that if such action is now being described as offensive, then the precedent was already established by Kwankwaso.

In a viral audio clip, Shekarau, who is associated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recalled that Kwankwaso had himself defected from the PDP to the APC while serving as governor, without relinquishing his governorship mandate.

“Governor Abba Yusuf is only following your footsteps,” Shekarau said, questioning why Kwankwaso would accuse Yusuf of betrayal when he had set a similar precedent.

Shekarau, who was a two-term governor of Kano State between 2003 to 2011, also revisited the formation of the NNPP, revealing that disagreements over power-sharing arrangements led to his exit from the party.

He claimed that despite being promised a senatorial ticket, he was marginalised in the allocation of positions, prompting him to leave the party.

The former governor emphasised that political decisions, including defections, should not be framed as betrayal, especially when leaders consult their followers and act in their collective interest.