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The All Nigeria People Party (ANPP)’s 2007 presidential flag
bearer, Muhammadu Buhari, destroyed the party and then dumped it for a new
group, Ibrahim Shekarau, the Kano State governor, alleged yesterday in Kano.

Mr. Shekarau, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on
media, Sule Yau Sule, accused Mr. Buhari of destroying the party before leaving
for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

“With all due respect, Buhari has added value to the cause of
ANPP; but it cost us more than what he brought in,” Mr. Shekarau said. “ANPP
started in 1998. Buhari was not there, so how can he be the backbone of the
party as (claimed).

“By 1999, nine Governors were sworn in from ANPP, Buhari was not
a member of our party by then. But by 2003, we lost two states while Buhari was
in the party. By 2007, we came down to three and a half and Buhari was still in
the party. Not even a single councillor from Daura nor Katsina, where Buhari
hails from, won election under ANPP.”

Mr. Shekarau said he doesn’t intend to tarnish the image of Mr.
Buhari, but said more prominent politicians would soon come out to narrate what
Buhari has done to ANPP.

“More eminent persons are coming forward to give a truer account
of General Buhari’s sojourn in ANPP,” he said.

‘Juicy fabrication’

The state governor, who was reacting to a story “why Shekarau is
against Buhari” attributed to the CPC spokesperson, Dennis Aghanya, said he has
nothing against Mr. Buhari and wishes him well with his future political
endeavours.

“Shekarau has nothing personal or political against Buhari and
the general had never personally claimed that Shekarau was against him,” he
said. “Like the party itself, Shekarau has accepted Buhari’s exit from ANPP in
good faith and has wished the general luck in his future political outings.”

The Kano State governor said that, as far as he is concerned, there
is no enmity between himself and Mr. Buhari, adding that any claims to the
contrary are just a figment of the imaginations of persons he described as
political jobbers.

“The enmity tale is a juicy fabrication of the Buhari organisation (TBO)
jobbers angling for political relevance,” he said. “Our candid advice to Buhari
is to embrace democratic traditions, respect party decisions, think and act
less like a Brigade Commander. Politics is a game of collective bargaining
where political actors must be ready to subsume their egoistical itches under
superior national or party interest.”