— By Ama Eyengho —
A former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu Shagari has disclosed that he turned down the offer to be the running mate to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi for the 2023 elections because he believes that the LP can not win the election.
Alhaji Shagari, who is a cousin of former President Shehu Shagari, who disclosed this yesterday while speaking on Channels TV Politics Today programme, said that when the LP contacted him, he requested to know about the party’s structure in Sokoto but did not get any satisfactory answer.
Aside turning down the offer to be the Vice Presidential candidate of the LP because the party does not have a structure in his State, Shagari, a two-term minister, said he believes that the LP will not be able to beat the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in any election.
Said he: “I was one of the first people the leaders of the Labour Party contacted if I will accept to be the Vice Presidential candidate of Peter Obi. But at the end of the day, I told them that I won’t be able to leave my party because I believe in the philosophy of my party. I believe in what my party stands for in Nigeria and I also believe that the Labour Party will not be able to beat my party in any election.
“I asked the Labour Party’s member that contacted me to tell me who really is the Chairman of the Labour Party in Sokoto State, who are the candidates of the Labour Party in Sokoto State, who is contesting for Senate, who is contesting for Governorship and so on and so forth. I did not get any satisfactory answer.”
“The issue is that at any point in time, people will say, okay look, this party, this man has come with so many lofty ideas and the rest of it and so on and so forth. Nigerians are not looking for lofty ideas. Nigerians are looking for solutions to the problems and maladies of this country,” Shagari said.
According to him, some of the areas Nigerians are looking for solutions include the economy, security, infrastructure, poverty alleviation and education, even as he denied ever leaving the PDP, when several parties made attempts to lure him into their parties.
“I made a statement and I said I am leaving PDP but leaving a party has a process. I only made a statement and after that, the leaders of the party decided to set up a committee. The committee met me at home and we discussed the issues. I agreed with them because when you are wronged and your leaders come to you and say we understand that you are wronged but we really want you to forget and forgive. If you are a responsible person, you should forget and forgive.
“So, that has gone and I am in my party. I did not leave my party. I only made a statement. I am in PDP and we are preparing and getting ready to take over the government in this country in 2023. So, for those who say I am not in the party, they are wrong.
“I know attempts have been made by opposition parties to lure me into their parties, but no, I have been in the PDP since 1998. I actually was a minister twice in the PDP. I was Deputy Governor for 8 years. I am a well-respected member of the party and have principles. Part of my principles is not to jump around from one party to another. So, I have decided to stay in my party and here we are,” Shagari declared.
