Shekarau: How Kwankwaso manipulated me

Ibrahim Shekarau, senator representing Kano central, says he and his supporters were “manipulated” by Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Shekarau spoke on Thursday in an interview with Channels Television.

On Monday, the senator officially defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the NNPP — four months after joining the party from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In May, the former Kano governor left the APC following the inability of the party to settle the crisis between his faction and that of Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano.

Speaking on why he left the NNPP, Shekarau said the party did not include the name of any of his associates on the candidates’ list sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite the establishment of a committee to ensure a merger between his associates and Kwankwaso’s allies.

“That is the least you can call it — betrayal, outright disregard, outright manipulation,” he said.

“Our guiding principle, which is known to all my political associates, is the protection of our image and integrity, and you can’t have your integrity protected if there is not going to be sincerity and if there is not going to be trust and truth.”

Asked if he was promised anything by the PDP, the senator said he did not join the party because of personal interests, adding that the PDP promised to be fair to his associates.

“There was not any promise or assurances except the assurances of being fair, sincere and trustworthy with the associates that we have,” he said.

“That is what we are looking for anywhere we move, Two things are our guiding principles — what kind of people are you interacting with and what kind of interaction are you promotion. Through our interactions with the PDP, we were satisfied.”