A former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, who recently returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the New Nigeria’s People Party (NNPP) bares his mind on what led to his defection and other political issues during a Channels TV programme, Politics Today, monitored by David Lawani

You recently returned to the PDP, what led to your defection from your last party, NNPP?

Before my declaration for PDP, many times I have discussed with my friend and brother, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, with whom we have a very good understanding and we try on how to move forward to promote the political stability in our state and of course the federation. We joined the party in the name of building the party and just before then, we made our proposal. And at that time, it was a period of generating candidates for the political offices who will be contesting in the 2023 general election. The state House of Assembly, the House of Reps, and the Senate. We made our proposals as a movement and we sat down with Rabiu Kwankwaso. We tabled these proposals and he accepted them. And, after one or two days he submitted his. And we sit together to sort ourselves out. And then harmonise. And see what we can do to produce elective people in the various constituencies. We cannot sufficiently know all the constituencies. And we virtually know all the key players regardless of the parties each of them belongs to. So, I felt it was nothing of a big deal to sit down and identify people who are to contest the various positions. And, we kept on waiting. I submitted this to him on the 5th of May. And by the 11th of May, I met with him. Meanwhile, our movement has made a decision. That we are going to leave APC for obvious reasons. This hope, trust, and sincerity kept us moving. And on the 18th of May when we had our declaration, Kwankwaso came and we had a very big ceremony. And, it was at that meeting that he brought the Kano Central form and he gave it to me. I was the first to receive the form. At that time on the 18th of May, no other candidate had been identified or listed or given a form. On the same 18th of May, by midnight we saw a list released by the party leadership with a handwritten list of candidates with their constituencies and indicating their constituency candidates. The following morning, I met him and I challenged the list. He said this is unacceptable. In the entire list, except my name, no other name from our movement from our political associate was included. Through the 19th of May, we agreed to set up a joint committee of 8 people. Four from his side and four from our side to go and harmonise my proposal and his proposal. And, the state chairman was added to make a nine-member committee. This committee kept working from the 22nd of May and the chairman kept dragging in silence. This is an assignment we needed to finish together. For three months, this kept dragging. I kept reminding him to call his old members and associates. The chairman of the committee called him to order. INEC will soon close sales of forms. The closing day when it expires and the substitution period. The committee claimed to still be working. It only submitted its reports in early August and I took them. It was signed for 6 representatives from our side and six for our own six assemblies. I met him. We agreed and put a call to the chairman of the committee. Both of you address the chairman of the committee. We said we agree with this report you have produced. And signed by none of you. Four from Kwankwaso and myself. And the state chairman made nine. We directed them to go and implement this report. We give you more than three weeks to go and implement this report. Unfortunately, the chairman of the committee failed to convey a meeting of the committee up to the 12th of August. And nothing was done. And before then all the doors have been shut by INEC. There was no way you could make any substitution either at the state level or the national level. We convened a meeting. I had to call my political associates to brief them. And this went on for three months. We set up a committee to go and review the situation. We cannot even make it public. There was a time, a few days later, my brother Rabiu Kwankwaso was on air Hausa radio BBC, saying there was no way we could be attended to because we joined the party very late. That it was too late. And I said which late? The party we joined on the 18th of May? When candidates were still being sorted out? Primaries were still on. Even my primary had not been held.

Would you say you were betrayed by Senator Kwankwaso?
I think the least we can say was we were betrayed and outright disregarded. Outright manipulation. And like I told you earlier on our guiding principles. Other political associates didn’t find it easy because we were after the protection of our image. Protection for our name and integrity. You cannot have your integrity protected if you are not going to have sincerity, trust, and truth. The question we asked was if he knew we were late, and we came in newly. Didn’t he know we were late and he still agreed that a committee is set up? The idea of the committee even came from him. If he is not being deceitful, why did he allow us to set up a committee? And the committee worked for three months and at the end, you’re telling us nothing was done because we came in later. And, by the 18th of May, NNPP had not sent any single name to INEC to contest in any position throughout the federation.

There was a rumour that you have moved back and forth to different parties and you are not a beautiful politician. How would you react to that?
I feel it is most unfortunate and mischievous. It has been in my character to do that not because of my interest. Ask any average man in Kano. The crowd and the people will not be coming along with us if it was for something selfish. If it was something for personal interest. We had a structure throughout from the unit, and ward to the LGAs and the state. Ask any average man in Kano. We have the politics of consultations. No decision was ever taken politically without taking a referendum across the state without the structures of our political associates. I never came out of my house to say let us go A or B. We set out issues if there are issues. And if there are complaints, we pass all of this through the structures. I am sure you have heard of the Shulah movement that we have. That is our consultative structure. In every ward and 480 wards that we have in Kano. We have a minimum of 100 of the Shulah assembly. We have local governments. We have at the state level about 172 consultative forums. We have a Shulah council of about 50 and management of about 17. There was no single political decision that I took without the structures. We make bottom-up decisions. It is the people that matter to us. It is the people that tell us because of all of this, ABCD, this is what you need to do. Go and check the records. Ask any average person in Kano. If we have been selfish, see the crowd that follows us. We don’t buy the conscience of the people. People follow us because they believe in us.

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How do you compare the Shulah movement to the Kwankwasiyya movement in Kano?
Well, it is not for me to do the assessment. It is an assessment that should be done by people like you on the street. Go and ask Kano people. They are the ones who will tell you who has the greatest followership. My concern is that I have my principles. And people believe it, and right from the time, I joined politics in 2002. That was why I said to ask an average man including our opposition. They will be sincere to tell you exactly what we have been doing. I have never been a lone ranger so I will just carry my bag and be moving around. I have never been a dictator. You must always ask the people. If the people that have been with you believe in what you stand for, and you share with them the problems that are out for all of us, they will always stand by you. I threw away a way ticket of my senatorial ambition in the interest of our entire followership that we have. If it was about me, I would have remained in NNPP. But ask anybody in Kano, it was almost a sure thing for me. In 2019, the records are there. I have the largest number of votes of all the wards in Nigeria. My votes were not only for APC. It cut across. Kano people know about it. And, they are ready to vote anytime.

What was your assurance from Atiku Abubakar and the PDP?
There was no promise or assurance except assurances of being fair, and sincere with our associates. And, that was what we were looking for. Anywhere we move, I always say two things. What kind of people are you interacting with? What kind of interaction are you promoting? And, through our interaction with the PDP, we were satisfied and we came back to reawaken the structures of our constituencies in all the wards in the state, 480 wards, and 44 LGAs. We went through all of this and we had documented records. There is nothing we do just on the air. I formed a 30-member committee on the Shulah assembly and the 30-member committee wrote out all the grievances and insecurity that we have experienced in the NNPP. And we asked them to advise us. And they did. And we were satisfied with the PDP and we moved on with them.

Why was the choice of the PDP?

I said we discussed this with the leadership of the PDP. Atiku Abubakar is part of the PDP. So, PDP is not a one-man show. It is not about Atiku Abubakar. It is about a complete movement of association of people who have agreed to work together. The trust is there. We had a discussion. We didn’t have any promises. Ask anybody or our associate or the party that I had left before anytime went to any party with the insistence of any promise. Our promise was always that every issue will be dealt with sincerity, transparency, and mutual trust. And I believe we don’t have to sit down to say which position you will give me or ABC. That was not part of our character.

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What did you tell them by way of assurance? Did you tell them that you will win Kano?
People say action speaks louder than words. PDP knows our standing in Kano. They know our followership is open to anybody in Kano. They didn’t tell us you will have to bring so and so votes. They didn’t give us any conditions. And, we are happy with it because they know our worth in Kano. Our followers are everywhere in the state.

What will you be telling the people of Kano to vote for Atiku as against their son, Senator Kwankwaso?

The issue is that if I may sound a little immodest. We told Kano people what we discussed with them. And 20 years ago what we told them in 2029 when I was facing the senatorial election under APC, everybody knows it. When you check the records back, when we were doing welcome back to the APC, in 2018, the governor was saying we were at the stadium begging you to come in. Even the governor of Kano knows that I don’t move alone.

How many votes can you guarantee?
Well, I assure you that by God’s grace knowing the trust and the belief in Kano on our integrity and what we stand for, we will be telling and guiding them that they should vote for PDP. I assure you PDP will clear the votes in Kano. The great majority of the people which I know for what they stand for. We don’t make promises or break them for the fun of it. I don’t want to make unnecessary noise. Call anybody from Kano and ask them about us. Atiku will win against Kano.

What is your view on the PDP considering the crisis facing the party? Won’t your movement to it be seen as moving from frying pan to fire? And which camp are you between Wike and Atiku?

I have been reading about this disagreement or whatever you call it. But by the grace of God, I have known Wike to be a player. He was my Minister of State for Education. He is not new to me and Atiku is not new to me, and I want to assure you that I will be part of all the efforts and moves in the party to resolve this crisis so that we can have a peaceful party and election that will carry everybody along. I don’t intend to claim to have all the answers. Now that I am part of the family, I will go all out to find out what the problems are and I am sure Wike as my junior brother and Atiku as my elder brother, I am sure I will join hands to broker peace in the party, PDP by the grace of God.