A former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, on Thursday, faulted the clamour by some stakeholders for the emergence of a President of Northern extraction in 2015. He described the call as rubbish.
He also argued that the recent defection of the state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress would not affect the ruling party negatively.
Shekarau, who recently defected to the PDP, spoke with State House correspondents after a meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said he had always kicked against the idea of localising the Presidency to a particular region.
He said, “I have never subscribed to the argument of localising the Presidency to a particular region. If you had followed my arguments and my presentations or debates during the presidential election, I said so. My concern is what do we do to get the right leadership regardless of where it is coming from.
“This issue of rotational presidency is not the issue. What we should be talking about is balancing so that we can carry the people along. Today, if I am a presidential candidate from Kano and I tell you that my running mate is from Katsina, won’t you think I am crazy?
“Do I have to have that written in any document or constitution for me to know that if I am a presidential candidate from Kano, my running mate has to come from the other side?
“So, this argument that it has to be my turn and it has to be my village man is all rubbish. It is the problem of lack of confidence among ourselves.”
When asked whether he was ready to campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan if he emerged the PDP candidate, Shekarau said whoever turned out to be the PDP candidate at any level would be his candidate.
On Kwankwaso’s defection, the former governor said, “His (Kwankwaso’s) defection cannot kill PDP. Those who are current with the situation on the ground know that the governor of Kano State had long before now been out of the PDP.
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders’ Council led by ex-President Shehu Shagari’s political Adviser, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, on Thursday in Kaduna, endorsed President Jonathan and Sambo for the 2015 presidency.
Yakassai, while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the General Assembly of the council, said they would work for the success of the Jonathan/Sambo ticket in next year.
Source: Punch
