Kano State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has assured the former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, PDP Northwest Chairman, Senator Bello Hayyu, and other personalities of a level playing field for the full integration into all party organs and affairs.

The Party State Chairman, Umar Haruna Doguwa, gave this assurance in a press statement issued by the party’s Spokesperson, Auwalu Abdullahi S/Mainagge.

Dogunwa assured Shekarau and others the opportunity to contribute their quota to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and the progressive, transformative Kano First Agenda of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

“We call on all our teeming supporters to give Senator Shekarau, Senator Gwarzo, and Alhaji Bagobiri a rousing welcome as we work together to deliver good governance to the people of Kano State.

According to him, they are pleased to officially welcome the three distinguished Sons of Kano and elder statesmen into the fold of APC, which is the winning Party and the most acceptable platform for Nigerians.

He explained that Senator Shekarau, Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo and Alahji Yahaya Umar Bagobiri, all formerly of PDP, are now full members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that their decision to join the progressive family is a testament to the inclusive vision, people-centred policies, and leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the APC-led administration at both federal and state levels.

He reminded them, ” His Excellency, Senator Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, CON, Sardaunan Kano, is a career educationist and civil servant who rose from a classroom teacher to Permanent Secretary in the Kano State Civil Service before retiring voluntarily in 2001. He made history as the first politician to serve two consecutive terms as Governor of Kano State from 2003 to 2011.

He later served as Minister of Education from 2014 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan, and represented Kano Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.

“As governor, he was widely recognised for expanding access to education at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. He holds the revered traditional title of Sardaunan Kano”

Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo is one of Nigeria’s longest-serving legislators, having represented Kano North Senatorial District from 1999 to 2015 across the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th National Assemblies.

“He was elected Chief Whip of the Senate from 2011 to 2015, where he earned the nickname “Mr Order” for his firm grasp of legislative procedure. During his time in the Senate, he served as Chairman of the Committees on Labour and FCT, and was a member of the Police Affairs, Millennium Development Goals, and Appropriation Committees. ”

Adding, “Until recently, he served as the PDP North-West Vice Chairman, elected in May 2022, and he maintains a formidable grassroots network across Kano North.”

The Chairman notes that Alhaji Yahaya Umar Bagobiri is a highly influential and well-respected grassroots politician with over three decades of active party administration.

He served as Secretary and later Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Nassarawa Local Government Area from 1990 to 1993. He was also Assistant Secretary of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in Kano State between 1996 and 1998, and served as Deputy Chairman of the PDP in Kano State between 2013 and 2015.

“For nearly 30 years, he has chaired Caucuses in Nassarawa Local Government Area, and until his defection was the Chairman of the PDP Elders Committee, Kano State.

Nationally, Alhaji Bagobiri was the Kano State Coordinator of Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s presidential campaign in 1992 under the _Hope ’93_ platform.

He also coordinated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s presidential election campaigns in Kano State in 2011, 2019, and 2023. His defection brings to the APC a deep institutional memory, mobilisation capacity, and tested grassroots machinery.”

The Chairman said the defections of these three leaders consolidate experience, institutional memory, and grassroots structures under the APC banner ahead of future elections.

“Their administrative depth — from the classroom to Government House, and from banking to the red chamber — brings proven capacity for policy formulation, education reform, and legislative oversight.

“As elder statesmen, they command respect across party lines and will serve as stabilisers in Kano’s political landscape, fostering unity and issue-based politics.”

“Their move also sends a clear signal to the electorate that the APC remains the most credible platform for development, security, and inclusion in Northern Nigeria.”