Central on NNPP ticket
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau as the winner of the Kano Central Senatorial district election despite his defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) months ago.
Shekarau, in August last year and after INEC had closed the window for substitution of candidates by political parties, renounced his membership of the NNPP for the PDP following irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the party.
He was reported to have subsequently forwarded a resignation letter from the party and from the contest to the INEC in the state.
Declaring the results however, INEC Returning Officer, Professor Tijjani Darma said Ibrahim Shekarau polled 456,787 votes on the ticket of the NNPP to defeat his closest rival, Abdulkarim Zaura of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 168,677 votes and Hajiya Laila Buhari who came third with 55, 237votes.
Shehu Usman , the NNPP agent at the collation center, in his reaction to the development accused INEC of failure to replace the candidacy of Ibrahim Shekarau who had long ago defected to the PDP.
Daily Sun gathered that there are concerted efforts by the NNPP as a party to get a copy of the Shekarau’s purported resignation letter to INEC but it is not exactly clear if he really did.