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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, has cleared the air over his recent meeting with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
There has been conflicting reports since Ganduje accompanied Shekarau to his house after attending the funeral prayer of influential businessman, Alhaji Sani Dahiru Yakasai (SDY), at the Emir’s palace, on Friday.
While some described the incident as political, others said Shekarau might direct his followers to vote for the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Nasir Gawuna, in Saturday’s election
But in an interview with Radio France International (RFI), Shekarau who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and one of the directors of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, said the meeting was apolitical.
He said there is cordial relation between him and other leaders of the state, adding that he often meets with many leaders, including Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
“Honestly, we met because of the death of our common friend, Alhaji Sani Dahiru Yakasai. We met at the funeral prayer which held at the Emir’s palace. Immediately after the prayers, we moved to the graveyard together in his own car. After burying the corpse, the governor held my hand and said he must finish what he has started, that is to take me back to my house.
“So I thanked him and we moved together to my house. There is nothing like politics here. It was just an accident. We don’t have any serious grudges, we respect each other. Just like Kwankwaso, we often meet at airports and we greet and laugh at each other,” he said.
On whether he met the governor behind closed doors, Shekarau said: “Oh do you want us to leave the door open while discussing? We didn’t discuss anything political. We were just discussing the death of this man and how our lives should be.”
The former governor said his door is open for discussion with anybody that comes to him, adding that he would never close his door to any politician who comes around to discuss issues that borders on the progress of the state.