Former Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has rejected claims that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf would be guilty of betrayal if he defects from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), describing political realignments as personal decisions guided by circumstance, consultation, and political reality.
Shekarau made the assertion during an interview with DCL Hausa, where he openly faulted comments credited to NNPP national leader, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, who reportedly argued that Governor Yusuf should surrender his mandate if he leaves the party.
According to Shekarau, such a position runs contrary to long-established political practice in Nigeria and contradicts precedents set by Kwankwaso himself during his time as governor of Kano State.
“I listened to some of my brother Kwankwaso’s remarks. To me, Kwankwaso has either forgotten what happened in the past or he believes people have forgotten,” Shekarau said.
He recalled that Kwankwaso defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while serving as governor, without relinquishing his mandate.
“When he left PDP for APC, he went with the governorship seat. Why didn’t he vacate it for PDP? The same way he took the PDP seat to APC is likely the same way Abba will take the NNPP seat to APC,” he stated.
Shekarau argued that if defection while in office is now being framed as betrayal, then such standards should apply retroactively, noting that political history clearly shows otherwise.
The former governor also revisited events surrounding the formation of the NNPP in Kano State, linking his eventual exit from the party to unresolved disputes over power-sharing arrangements among stakeholders.
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He explained that after he and Kwankwaso defected from the APC to the NNPP, several meetings were held in Abuja and Kano to agree on the distribution of elective positions and appointments. A committee was set up to work out the details, with Abba Yusuf appointed as chairman due to his role as the party’s governorship candidate.
“Abba spent about three months without submitting the assignment. Suddenly, a list was released and there was no single person from our side, apart from me,” Shekarau said, adding that Kwankwaso himself raised concerns over the development at the time.
According to him, the failure to resolve the disagreement prompted him and his supporters to establish a 30-man committee, which later recommended their exit from the NNPP.
“I rejected the arrangement because I could not accept a senatorial ticket alone while my supporters got nothing,” he said.
Shekarau maintained that political decisions, including defection, should not automatically be interpreted as betrayal, stressing that leaders often act after broad consultations and in what they believe serves the best interest of their followers.
“In life, everyone makes choices for himself. If you have genuine reasons and the people you represent agree with you, that is enough,” he said.
He concluded by urging critics to allow Governor Yusuf the freedom to make his political choice without being vilified, pointing out that Kwankwaso himself has moved across parties over the years, from PDP to APC, back to PDP, and later to the NNPP.
“If Abba has his reasons and those around him support the decision, I do not see any betrayal in that,” Shekarau added.
