Shekarau formally announces defection to APC

Mr Shekarau declared his much anticipated defection at a meeting with loyalists held at his Mundubawa avenue residence on Saturday.

He said he decided to leave PDP due to the injustice the national leadership of the party meted against the state leadership of the PDP.

Mr Shekarau said the main reason for taking this decision is due to the concession of 51 per cent of the party’s leadership structure from state to ward level to a presidential aspirant, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who recently decamped to the party.

Mr Shekarau defected along with the dissolved state executive vice chairman, Ibrahim KT; state secretary, Auwalu Danzabuwa and state women leader, Hajiya Riga.

Others who decamped with him served on his cabinet when he was governor, including some gubernatorial aspirants under the PDP.

Prominent among these aspirants are: Mustapha Maimansaleta, Bashir Ishaq, Muhammad Bello, Sarki Labaran and Garba Yusuf.

PREMIUM TIMES observed that a gubernatorial candidate, Salihu Takai, who Mr Shekarau supported in 2011 and 2015 and about 40 out of the 44 local government chairmen of the PDP in the state were not present during the formal declaration.