According to The Punch, Bashir Bashir, the Labour Party governorship candidate in Kano state, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In January, the LP governorship candidate, along with the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, Mohammed Zarewa, the state coordinator of Peter Obi’s campaign, Balarabe Wakili, and a member of the presidential campaign council, Idris Dambazau, boycotted the party’s presidential rally in Kano.
According to The Punch, a source close to Bashir confirmed his and other LP leaders’ defection to the APC on Sunday.
The source attributed their defection to the alleged exclusion of major northern stakeholders from its decision-making process, as well as a lack of clear direction on northern Nigeria’s interests.
According to Daily Nigerian, Bashir met with APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu and vice presidential candidate Kashim Shettima in Lagos and Abuja, where they agreed on the terms of his defection.
According to a source, the LP candidate endorsed Tinubu and promised to mobilize his supporters for him.
Meanwhile, the Daily Trust reported on Sunday evening that Bashir met with Tinubu.
According to the newspaper’s sources, the meeting was held in Abuja, and the main topic of discussion was defection.
According to the Daily Trust, Bashir has not officially announced his departure from the LP or stated whether he will abandon his gubernatorial ambitions.