2023: Kwankwaso Betrayed Me – Shekarau

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

Former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau has accused the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of betrayal.

Shekarau made this claim days after dumping the NNPP for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The lawmaker representing Kano Central district during an interview on Channels TV disclosed that Kwankwaso refused to implement the agreement they had.

According to Shekarau, he had asked Kwankwaso to present his loyalists with political slots, but the presidential candidate refused to take steps till the Independent National Electoral Commission closed receiving candidates.

He described the action of Kwankwaso as betrayal, outright disregard, and manipulation.

Shekarau said, “We made our proposal as a group, as a movement together with all my political associations and we sat down with Rabiu Kwankwaso. I submitted my proposal and he accepted it. He said in one or three days he was going to prepare his proposal and then I together with him will sit down to sort ourselves out and then harmonize and see what we could do for these electable people from various constituencies.

“He and I having governed Kano we sufficiently know all the key players regardless of the parties they belong.

“I felt it was not a big deal to sit down to organize people from his and my camps, who are electable. We kept on waiting. I submitted this to him on the 10th of May and by the 11th of May, I reminded him. Meanwhile, our movement had taken a decision.

“The same 14th of May by midnight, we saw a list released by the party leadership of the state, a handwritten list of candidates and their constituencies. In fact, on the list released on May 18th, some constituencies had no name. The following morning I met him (Kwankwaso) and challenged the list.

“We said this is unacceptable because in the entire list except for my name, no other name from our movement or our association was reflected on the list.

“By the 12th of August, all the doors had been shut by INEC. There was no way you can make any substitution either at the state level or national level. I had to call a meeting of my political associates to brief them on what we went through in three months.

“To our surprise, two days later, my brother Rabiu Kwankwaso was on air on the Hausa Service of BBC, saying there was no way we could be attended because we joined the party when it was too late. A party we joined on the 18th of May when candidates were being sorted out and primaries were being held?

“That is the least you can call it, betrayal, outright disregard, manipulation. Our guiding principle is the protection of our image.”