A former governor of Kano state, Ibrahim Shekarau, has opened up on his reported strained relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Shekarau had been an ardent critic of Mr Buhari and his government when he was in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

However, Mr Shekarau, at a media parley with journalists at his residence in Kano on Wednesday, said there had never been a rift between him and President Buhari Daily Nigerian reports.

Mr Shekarau, who is also a former minister of education, added that he and Mr Buhari had been associates since 2002 when the president ventured into politics.

According to him, they had also worked together for the creation of All Progressives Congress, APC.

“I am not in a crisis with President Buhari. There is never a time when Buhari said there is a rift between us. And I have never mentioned that there is a rift between us. You can quote me anywhere if I had ever said there was a crisis between me and Buhari.

“I and the President have been together for quite a long time. We worked together towards the creation of APC. So, as far as I am concerned, my relationship with Buhari is cordial and perfect,” said Mr Shekarau.

The former governor, who is now the Kano central senatorial candidate under the APC, also maintained that even when he dumped the APC to PDP, he did not take that decision because of Mr Buhari or anybody else.

Mr Shekarau, who stressed that even on returning to the APC his relationship with Mr Buhari remained intact, promised to work harmoniously with the President if both got elected as senator and president respectively.