Mukhtar Shagari, a former minister of water resources, says he was asked by the Labour Party (LP) to be the vice-presidential candidate of the party.
He said this on Tuesday in an interview on Channels Television.
Shagari, a former deputy governor of Sokoto, had dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in May 2022, citing “series of betrayals”.
He left the PDP hours after Obi also announced his resignation from the party.
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Shagari, who had also earlier indicated his interest in contesting the governorship of his state, has, however, since rejoined the PDP.
Speaking on Tuesday on if the PDP may have benefitted from Obi’s current popularity if the party had zoned the presidency to the south, the former deputy governor said he believes his party and its candidate — Atiku Abubakar — have what it takes to win the 2023 presidential election.
“I was one of the first people Labour Party contacted if I would accept to be the vice-presidential candidate of Peter Obi. But at the end of the day, I told them that I would not be able to leave my party, because I believe in the philosophy of my party,” he said.
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“I believe in what my party stands for Nigeria; and I also believe that the Labour Party will not be able to beat my party at any election.
“What is happening? So many young people as you have said. Who are those young people? I asked the Labour Party members that contacted me to tell me who really is the chairman of the Labour Party in Sokoto state? Who are the candidates of the Labour Party in Sokoto state? Who is contesting for senate? Who is contesting for governorship and so forth? I did not get any satisfactory answer.
“The issue is at any point in time, people will say ‘this man has come with so many lofty ideas and the rest of it’. Nigerians are not looking for lofty ideas. Nigerians are looking for solutions to the problems of this country in the areas of economy, security, infrastructure, poverty alleviation, health.”
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