Former minister of water resources Mukhtar Shagari claims the Labour Party (LP) approached him about running as the party’s vice presidential candidate.
This was said by him on Tuesday during a Channels Television interview.
Former Sokoto deputy governor, Shagari, left the Peoples Democratic Party in May 2022, blaming a “series of betrayals.”
After Obi announced his resignation from the PDP, he did so a few hours later.
Shagari, who had previously expressed interest in running for governor of his state, has recently gone back to the PDP.
The former deputy governor said he believes his party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have what it takes to win the 2023 presidential election when asked if the PDP may have benefited from Obi’s present popularity if the party had zoned the presidency to the south.
“I was one of the first people Labour Party contacted if I would accept to be the vice-presidential candidate of Peter Obi. But at the end of the day, I told them that I would not be able to leave my party, because I believe in the philosophy of my party,” he said.
“I believe in what my party stands for Nigeria; and I also believe that the Labour Party will not be able to beat my party at any election.
“What is happening? So many young people as you have said. Who are those young people? I asked the Labour Party members 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 forth? I did not get any satisfactory answer.
“The issue is at any point in time, people will say ‘this man has come with so many lofty ideas and the rest of it’. Nigerians are not looking for lofty ideas. Nigerians are looking for solutions to the problems of this country in the areas of economy, security, infrastructure, poverty alleviation, health.”
