Mukhtar Shehu Shagari, a former minister of water resources and ex-deputy governor of Sokoto state, has formally switched his political allegiance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto state.
Shagari, who served as a minister under former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, had been a dedicated PDP member for more than 25 years prior to his move to the ruling APC.
Confirming the development on Shagari’s defection to APC, the party’s state secretary, Abubakar Yabo said the former deputy governor has received his membership card of APC which formally qualified him as a dully registered member of the partty.
Shagari’s decision to switch parties was attributed to the perceived discrepancies and treatment by the national PDP leadership.
Yabo confirmed that the former minister and former deputy governor of the state has received his party membership card which qualifies him as a dully registered member of his new party.
The defection of the former deputy governor has put a lot of insinuations going around the state that, Shagari who is well known for his conservative political ideology will remain in the PDP even if he will be the last man standing.
Shagari’s membership of the APC reads: “All progressives Congress APC Justice, peace and Unity. Registration form, “Mukhtar Shehu Shagari (CFR) SOKO/SGR/014/26001 dated 27th May 2023.
Reacting to Shagari’s defection, the Sokoto state PDP leadership characterized it as an act of betrayal, highlighting his six-year stint as a minister and his departure without his followers.
The Sokoto state leadership of the PDP while reacting to the defection of the former minister described the action as an act of betrayal, saying that the former minister left the party alone without his followers.
The publicity secretary of the party, Hassan Sanyinnawal, said the defection of the former minister would not in any way weekend the party or change anything in the state party structures, saying that the PDP remained the only and most formidable opposition in the state.
He asserted that the party’s representatives in both state and national assemblies authentically voice the concerns of Sokoto state’s people.
