KEY POINTS

• Ibrahim Shekarau has left the PDP and is set to rejoin the APC after consultations with his supporters.
• His political career has been marked by multiple defections, largely influenced by rivalries and internal party conflicts.
• The move is seen as a strategic alignment to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and is set to return to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in a move that signals renewed political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Shekarau announced his decision on Sunday at his residence along Mundubawa Avenue in Kano, where APC campaign posters were prominently displayed. The announcement followed consultations with his Shura committee and core supporters, who unanimously backed the defection.

His exit from the PDP comes shortly after the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, publicly extended an invitation to him and another PDP stalwart, Bello Hayatu, urging them to join the ruling party.

A political career marked by strategic shifts

Shekarau, who governed Kano State from 2003 to 2011, first rose to prominence when he defeated incumbent Rabiu Kwankwaso in 2003 — a historic victory that made him the first challenger in the state to unseat a sitting governor. He secured re-election in 2007 but was unable to install his preferred successor, Salihu Takai, as Kwankwaso reclaimed power in 2011.

A founding member of the now-defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Shekarau initially moved to the PDP in 2014 following the ANPP’s merger into the APC. He cited concerns over the party structure in Kano being dominated by Kwankwaso, who had also joined the APC at the time.

After the PDP’s defeat in the 2015 general elections, Shekarau remained with the party until 2018, when he switched back to the APC, coinciding with Kwankwaso’s return to the PDP.

Shekarau’s political journey has been shaped by recurring rivalries and internal party disputes, particularly involving Kwankwaso. In 2019, he won the Kano Central senatorial seat under the APC platform.

However, ahead of the 2023 elections, tensions with former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje led him to defect to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), a party then led by Kwankwaso.