Former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has said he can work together with former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in the foreseeable future, insisting that neither of them was responsible for past political disagreements.
The top politicians have always switched parties to avoid each other. But as the coalition begins ahead of the 2027 elections, the two politicians have been taking stock of their chances and the role they need to play. Their respective political parties have been in crisis.
In a viral video interview with an online media platform, Shekarau clarified that their political differences were shaped by circumstances beyond their control.
“Honestly, I believe that Kwankwaso and I have no issue sitting together under one roof. In everything that happened, neither he nor I was at fault,” he said.
Reflecting on their time in different political parties, he recalled how Kwankwaso, as Kano’s governor, joined other governors from Sokoto, Adamawa, Rivers and a few states in defecting from the PDP to the APC.
However, he noted that the APC interim leadership, comprising Bisi Akande, Muhammadu Buhari, and Bola Tinubu, failed to ensure fairness in party structuring.
“In Kano, the ANPP formed 80 per cent of the APC structure, yet because he was a sitting governor, they allocated him 60 per cent of the party leadership, which we questioned as an injustice,” Shekarau explained.
Using an analogy, he likened the situation to disrespecting one’s parents in their home, only to later demand a choice of rooms in a newly built house by others.
“It doesn’t work like that. That’s why we refused to be part of such injustice,” he said.
He also cited a similar experience within the PDP, stressing that Kwankwaso was not to blame there either, as the party leadership made the decisions.
According to him, the same issue of injustice arose in the NNPP, where an agreed power-sharing formula was later disregarded.
“Even now, Kwankwaso and I still sit down and discuss issues. We have never said we won’t unite under one umbrella. Everything is in God’s hands.
Twenty years ago, if someone had told you I would be governor, you would have sworn it was impossible—the same goes for him,” Shekarau noted.
Emphasising divine destiny, he concluded that he, Kwankwaso and Abdullahi Ganduje are no different from any other Kano resident.
“There are many people ahead of us in all aspects of life, but God chose us,” he said.
