TheCable

Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says the defection of Ibrahim Shekarau to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a blessing.

Galadima spoke on Tuesday during an interview published by BBC Hausa.

On Monday, Ibrahim Shekarau, former governor of Kano state, officially defected to the PDP.

Last week, Shekarau alleged that Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of NNPP, betrayed the agreement they had before he joined the NNPP.

“We saw this coming. And what I fear for Mallam Shekarau is he has spoilt his dance with a jump. Because what most people anticipated he was going to do, he didn’t disappoint them,” Galadima said.

“Any party he joins, he’ll say injustice has been done to him, then he leaves. I assure you that him leaving our party, 90 percent of his loyalists won’t join him, they’ll remain in NNPP.

“As of today, in Nigeria, there’s no candidate who has up to half of the support that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has in the north.

“With the difference of one vote, a candidate can become President of Nigeria. Shekarau has more than one vote, we didn’t wish for his departure but now that he has gone, it maybe a blessing to us because if we establish a government, there will be dispute with him when it comes to giving appointments.

“His position that is now vacant, we will write to INEC. He also wrote to them so that we’ll be given permission to produce a new candidate.”