By Onoja Baba, Nigeria
A former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and rejoined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Shekarau announced his defection on Sunday at his residence on Mundubawa Avenue in Kano, which was decorated with APC posters.
He left the PDP alongside Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, a chieftain of the opposition party.
Addressing party loyalists at the event, Shekarau said the decision was reached after wide consultations and careful consideration of available political options.
“We have weighed all the options and arrived at this collective resolution. Do you all agree?” he asked, urging anyone opposed to the move to speak up.
The announcement came hours after he submitted his resignation letter from the PDP. In the letter dated April 19, 2026, and addressed to the PDP Chairman of Giginyu Ward in Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, Shekarau stated that his exit took immediate effect.
“Accept this letter please as notice of my resignation from my position as member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with effect from today,” he wrote.
He expressed appreciation to the ward-level party leadership, saying: “I thank you for being a good leader, and pray that Allah will continue to guide you in your stewardship.”
The resignation letter was copied to the Kano State PDP Chairman and the PDP Chairman of Nassarawa Local Government Area.
Shekarau, who governed Kano from 2003 to 2011 under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), has a long history of party switches. He was a founding member of the APC but later defected. He had previously left the PDP in 2018 before crossing back and forth.
The move follows months of speculation fuelled by the PDP’s internal crises. In recent weeks, Shekarau held closed-door meetings with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf. During a visit by APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, in April, he had hinted at his impending exit from the PDP, describing the opposition party as plagued by problems that had rendered it ineffective.
Political observers view the defection as a significant boost for the APC in Kano State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As of the time of filing this report, reactions from the PDP leadership were still being awaited.
Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has reportedly hailed
Shekarau’s return to the APC.
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