APC Presidential Campaign: Coalition hails Tinubu’s choice of Ali Modu Sheriff

• Calls appointment strategic, timely, politically sound

By Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

The Grassroots Coalition for Change (GCC) has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the appointment of former Borno State Governor and APC chieftain, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as the North-East Zonal Campaign Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.

The coalition described the appointment as strategic, timely and politically sound, saying Senator Sheriff possesses the experience, grassroots connections and political network required to coordinate the APC’s presidential campaign effectively across the North-East.

The GCC said this on Thursday in a statement by its National Coordinator, Bello Y. Johnson, made available to the media in Abuja.

The coalition, however, strongly condemned what it described as sustained media attacks against the personality and integrity of Senator Sheriff following his appointment, describing the attacks as politically motivated attempts to undermine a man who has been entrusted with an important responsibility by the President.

The GCC questioned the timing of the latest attacks against Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, asking why those raising allegations against him chose to remain silent when he was serving as National Chairman of major political parties and occupying other prominent positions in Nigeria’s political space. “Where was this person when Sheriff was made National Chairman? Where was he when Sheriff held key positions within the political parties and played prominent roles in national politics? Why did these allegations not become an issue then?” the coalition asked.

The coalition said the sudden emergence of the allegations immediately after Sheriff’s appointment as the North-East Zonal Campaign Coordinator for President Tinubu’s 2027 campaign raises legitimate questions about the motives behind the attacks. According to the GCC, the timing suggests that the objective may be to discredit Sheriff and weaken his ability to mobilise the North-East for the President.

The coalition urged Nigerians to look beyond the allegations and examine why they are being raised now, when Sheriff has been entrusted with a specific political responsibility and is focused on delivering the North-East for President Tinubu.

The coalition, in its statement, said it was aware of the individuals and interests behind the latest media campaign against Sheriff, alleging that the person sponsoring the attacks is from Katsina State who is not from the North-East zone and therefore has no basis to dictate who should coordinate the political affairs of the region.

According to the statement, “This individual has sustained a campaign against Senator Ali Modu Sheriff for the past 15 years, yet has failed to establish any tangible, credible or meaningful evidence to substantiate the allegations repeatedly levelled against him.

“The GCC therefore questions why Nigerians should suddenly attach credibility to claims that have remained unproven for more than a decade, particularly now that Sheriff has been appointed to coordinate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign in the North-East”, it declared.

The coalition said the persistence of the allegations, without credible evidence to support them, suggests that the campaign is driven more by political motives than by a genuine pursuit of accountability.

It said that the North-East appreciates President Tinubu’s decision to appoint Sheriff and remains confident in his ability to mobilise the region and deliver substantial support for the President in the 2027 presidential election.

According to the GCC, Senator Sheriff is a politician of considerable experience and reputation whose political career spans decades and includes service as Governor of Borno State, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), as well as other significant political responsibilities.

These experiences, the coalition reasoned, have equipped Sheriff with an understanding of party administration, electoral politics, grassroots mobilisation and stakeholder engagement, making him well suited to coordinate a politically diverse region such as the North-East.

The GCC also rejected attempts to link Senator Sheriff personally to the Boko Haram insurgency, stressing that there has never been an established finding that he was the originator of Boko Haram.

“Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is not the originator of Boko Haram. That allegation has never been established. Nobody can simply pin the Boko Haram issue on Senator Sheriff and use an unsubstantiated allegation to destabilise him or undermine the responsibility he has been given,” the coalition said.

According to the GCC, attempts to revive such allegations whenever Sheriff is given a political responsibility amount to an effort to distract attention from the assignment before him.

The GCC further said the North-East should not be defined by political disagreements or attempts by individuals outside the zone to create division among its political stakeholders.