A former governor of Borno State and an
All Progressives Congress, (APC) stalwarts, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff may defect
to ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), this week, according to
reports. It was also learnt that Sheriff is expected to defect with 21 members
of the Borno state House of Assembly.
It was also learnt that Sheriff is
expected to defect with 21 members of the Borno State House of Assembly.
According to insiders, the former governor had been seen as a “PDP agent in APC
cloth” since the fall out of the last national congress. Sheriff was said to
have been angered by the way some national officers of the party emerged at the
party’s congress, which he claimed had left his fate hanging in the balance in
the power game in the party’s hierarchy.
Feelers in the state had it that a close
deal had been reached between the former governor and the PDP to ensure that
the embattled governor of the state is impeached or intimidated to forfeit his
second term ambition. If this could not be achieved, sources said another game
plan was to put all resources together and ensure that Shettima is defeated at
the polls, if he eventually decides to contest.
The
21 lawmakers, who are to work with the former governor in the scheming, were
also expected to defect to the PDP with him to ensure a hitch-free process. But
in a swift reaction, the chairman of the APC in the state, Alhaji Ali Bukar
Dalori, in a statement issued at the weekend on the speculation, maintained
that the party had not been briefed about the said plan to defect. He noted
that all he got was a text message circulating that some key party members were
putting pressure on Sheriff to defect from APC.
He said he was aware “that some aspirants
have been putting pressures on a key leader of the APC, Senator Ali Modu
Sheriff, to defect to the PDP, thinking they (the aspirants) will have
ready-made tickets to become PDP candidates ahead of the 2015 elections.But
Dalori said the aspirants would realise that they were wrong when it would,
however, be too late.
He said: “Sheriff has not told us he is
going to the PDP, but then, these assembly members are very loyal APC members.
Any member of the APC in Borno who defects to the PDP will be making the worst
political calculation, because there will be very limited options there.
“I
saw a bulk SMS last night saying 21 members of the Borno State Assembly under
the APC are following Sheriff to PDP, what a joke? Sheriff has not told us he
is going to the PDP, but then, these assembly members are very loyal APC
members. And let me even ask, does anybody think they are crazy? If they leave
the APC and they are looking for tickets, how can PDP give 21 tickets of the
House of Assembly to defectors, give governorship, senate and House of
Representatives tickets to the same group?”
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