Ex-Gov, Shekarau Shuns “Fake” Buhari’s Invitation, Set To Join NNPP

After several weeks of uncertainties, a former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, may this week finally part ways with sitting Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and team up with the Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso led New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Sources said that Senator Shekarau, representing Kano Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, had been in talks with another former governor of the state and national leader of the NNPP, Kwankwaso, to pave way for his final exit from the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 elections.

A source in NNPP said, “We are discussing with Mallam Shekarau and he is disposed towards it because he doesn’t have a future in APC. President Muhammadu Buhari sent governor Ganduje to his house, three days ago to bring him, but he refused to go because Ganduje didn’t give them anything in the Kano State APC structure, from the ward congresses, Local Governments to states, and didn’t carry them along.

“So, seven members of the National Assembly decided to challenge him, that was what started the whole problem. Eventually, there was a court judgment that favoured Shekarau and the stakeholders. They had a parallel state congress that divided the Kano APC. But the Supreme Court gave it to the governor’s faction and decided not to carry them along. “Shekarau was bitter and it was at the last moment they wanted to bring him over to see Buhari, but he refused to go. He doesn’t have a future in APC, even if he chooses to go back to APC and wins the primary, he won’t defeat our NNPP candidate

Mallam Shekarau was said to have rejected an invitation to see President Muhammadu Buhari as part of efforts to stop his rumoured defection from APC to NNPP.

The said invitation was extended to Mallam Shekarau through the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Mr Ganduje was earlier heckled and booed when he visited Mallam Shekarau’s Mundubawa Road residence to persuade him to join him in a charter flight to see the president in Abuja at 1 am on Saturday.

Although Mallam Shekarau had earlier accepted to honour the invitation, sources however revealed
hat Mallam Shekarau cancelled the visit after discovering that it was not the President who wanted to see him but the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu and some governors.

“Mallam (Shekarau) has been unreachable on the phone since he concluded plans to join the NNPP. So they are making strenuous efforts to take him to Abuja and persuade him to shelve his plan.

“They know Mallam respects constituted authority, and will not turn down an invitation from Mr President. This is the reason they hatched that plan.

“But the fact of the matter is that Mallam has reached a point of no return. Should he accept to remain in APC, I assure you that 80 per cent of his supporters will join the NNPP.

“And then even if they gave him an automatic ticket, he cannot win election in APC,” said a source.

Eighteen-Eleven Media can authoritatively reveal that aside from Governor Ganduje’s Chief of Staff, Ali Makoda, who resigned and immediately joined the NNPP, a serving local government chairman, two lawmakers, APC auditor and youth leader have also joined the party.

Meanwhile, Governor Ganduje Sunday, directed the Head of Civil Service, Usman Bala Muhammad to oversee the Office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor with immediate effect.

Muhammad, who was appointed Head of Service, last April, had served as Chief of Staff to Ganduje at the inception of the administration.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba that was made available to reporters indicated that the supervision would be pending the appointment of a substantive Chief of Staff.