I remain loyal to Sheriff – Shettima

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

Borno state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima yesterday re-emphasised that his relationship with his predecessor, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff remained cordial, saying, “I remained loyal to Sheriff”.

Governor Shettima was rumoured to be at a logger-heads with his predecessor and godfather, Sheriff after Friday’s sacking of a commissioner and three Senior Special Advisers believed to be loyal to the former governor.

But addressing the stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Shettima said that the former governor still remains a father to all and that he at no time had problems with him.

He urged rumour-mongers to desist from their enterprise, insisting that there is no rift between him and Sheriff and that they still are on the same page, working towards the progress of the party.

He said: “Power comes from God and he decides to give to whom he feels. I am not the best in the state; no matter the classification there are people that are better than me.”

He said that he does not get intoxicated by power, because “you will spend more years out of power than in power; at most I will send eight years in office”.

“We (APC) are one big family, let there be fairness at the congress,” admonishing that “we are a success story; let us not allow for failure, the PDP are waiting in the wings and will capitalize on our mistakes to push us out.

“We should do everything to succeed and continue to be a success story. We should not allow anyone to say of us that we are the ruling party in the state and we cannot organise our congress”, the governor further added.

Also speaking, the Interim Chairman of the party in the state, Senator Kaka Malam Yale said he noticed that with the large turnout and the calibre of people at the meeting, it shows that they are ready to support the party.

In his remarks, Chairman of the state congress Committee, Farouk Adamu Aliyu told the party faithful that: “We came here to work with you for the interest of the party. We shall make sure we go through consensus. Where we do not have consensus we shall hold election and it is hoped the loser will accept his or her defeat.”

According to him, the congress had to be shifted to Tuesday because: “Materials were given to us on Friday and they got to Borno on Saturday.”

He added that since the banks will be opened on Monday “anybody interested in contesting should go and pay at the bank for their forms; Tuesday’s consensus will be announced where we have and if we do not have election will hold.”