Shekarau said Governor Yusuf merely followed a political path earlier taken by Kwankwaso himself, noting that defection is a personal political decision guided by prevailing circumstances.
Reacting in a viral audio message shared on his verified WhatsApp platform, Shekarau said it was unfair for Kwankwaso to label Yusuf a “betrayer” for allegedly moving to the APC.
“Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf should not be accused of betrayal because political realignments are personal decisions guided by circumstances and consultations,” Shekarau said.
He reminded Kwankwaso that he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC while serving as governor and retained his mandate.
“I listened to some of my brother Kwankwaso’s remarks. To me, Kwankwaso has either forgotten what happened in the past or thinks people have forgotten,” he said.
Shekarau recalled that Kwankwaso left the PDP for the APC without relinquishing the governorship seat.
“When he was in PDP, he moved with the governorship seat to APC. Why didn’t he drop it for PDP? The way he took PDP’s seat to APC is likely the same way Abba will take the NNPP seat to APC,” he added.
According to him, if such actions are now considered offensive, then the precedent was already established by Kwankwaso himself.
The former governor also revisited events surrounding the formation of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, attributing his eventual exit from the party to disagreements over power-sharing arrangements.
Shekarau said that after he and Kwankwaso defected from the APC to the NNPP, several meetings were held in Abuja and Kano to agree on how elective positions and appointments would be shared.
He disclosed that a committee was constituted to work out the sharing formula, with Governor Yusuf appointed as chairman because he was to fly the governorship ticket.
“Abba spent about three months without delivering the assignment. Suddenly, a list emerged and there was no single person from our side except me,” he said.
According to Shekarau, Kwankwaso openly queried the development in his presence, but the matter was not resolved, prompting him and his supporters to set up a 30-member committee which eventually recommended leaving the NNPP.
“I rejected the arrangement because I could not take a senatorial ticket alone while my people got nothing,” he added.
Shekarau maintained that political decisions, including defection, should not automatically be described as betrayal, especially when leaders consult their followers and act in what they believe is their collective interest.
