I HAVE NO PLANS TO REPLACE TAKAI – SHEKARAU

By NBF News

Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, has said nothing has changed his choice of Alhaji Salisu Sagir Takai as the gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the state for next year's election.

The governor's clarification followed unfounded claims in recent times that he might have settled for another of his aides, Alhaji Ibrahim Kankarofi, who had declared for the gubernatorial race on the platform of ANPP.

A press statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Sule Yau Sule, said 'it has come to the notice of His Excellency , the Governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau that some rumour specialists were currently spreading an unfounded rumour about his choice of Mallam Salisu Sagir Takai'

The statement further read, 'There is no truth in the rumour being circulated around that His Excellency is considering changing his stand on Takai 's candidature for the governorship contest to be replaced by Alhaji Ibrahim Kankarofi's alleged aspiration.'

Disassociating the Mallam Shekarau from the claims, the statement said the governor had nothing to do with the alleged emergence of Kankarofi in the race or with his alleged gubernatorial aspiration. He added that, 'Alhaji Takai still remains his (the governor's) choice and he has never harboured any thought to change his stand on this matter because it was done out of his personal conviction of Alhaji Takai's suitability.'

The statement, however, explained that any other ANPP member was free to aspire for the governorship position of the state, adding that already, the party's leadership had assured everybody that it would treat all the aspirants fairly in the processes leading to the emergence of the gubernatorial candidate of the party.