Sheriff
The 2011 Elections
Like in 2007, when he ran for a second term in office, again, preparatory to the 2011 elections, Sheriff faced another stiff opposition from those who are bent on decimating him politically. Although, not gunning for governorship then, he needed to deliver the governorship seat to his party, and return to the Senate again.
However, by this time, the odds were against him, owing to the allegation that he had a hand, through his actions and inactions, in the formation and the growth of the outlawed Boko Haram group. For this singular reason, Arewa Report further learnt, the people of the State vowed to defeat him and his party at the polls. In fact, severally, they have openly called for his arrest and prosecution over his alleged complicity in the whole mess.
But Sheriff has always denied the allegation, including the one openly made against him by his friend and former FCT minister, General Jerry Useni (rtd), at the Villa, to the effect that Sheriff, as governor then, once told him that the political thugs in the State, known as ECOMOG, usually come in handy to help the party, during elections.
During the 2011 elections, Arewa Report investigations revealed that three things however changed the minds of Borno people, in favour of the ANPP. One was the personalities of the two leading governorship candidates, Mohammed Goni of the PDP, and Kashim Shettima of the ANPP. Goni, a former Borno governor, who was 69 years by 2011, was 37years, when he became governor in 1979, whereas, his opponent, was in his early 40’s then.
Therefore, the mere fact Goni’s candidature, was promoted by some old men in the State, including a 90 year old man, a thing the people frowned at, under Kachallah, counted against him. Besides, while Shettima was seen as one who is extremely generous, Goni was viewed differently, by an average Borno person.
Two, Kashim Imam, a two time governorship candidate of the PDP in the State, teamed up with Sheriff, in a power sharing formula that saw him producing the running mate to Shettima. This also aided the victory of the ANPP.
Three and most importantly, it was further learnt, was the Buhari factor. In fact, even in most PDP gatherings during the electioneering, each time Goni shouts “Nigeria!” The PDP supporters would respond with “Sai Buhari.” But if he shouts Borno, they will either say “Sai Baba (referring to Goni) or Sai Goni.” This attitude prompted the PDP’s Campaign team, to drop the idea of campaigning for Jonathan, and instead focused attention more, on the governorship.
However, before it took the decision, the damage had been done. But to show that Sheriff was their target, the people killed his dream of returning to the Senate after eight years as governor, as he was defeated by a relatively unknown politician in the State, a candidate, whom the PDP had just fielded, only to fulfill all righteousness.
The Realities on Ground Today
Sheriff is no doubt facing what could pass for a political battle of his life, the outcome of which would make or mar him politically. Already, there are moves by some PDP chieftains, to return to the APC, following his defection to the PDP. If that happens, it would no doubt further deplete the support base of the PDP. And if some of them decide to remain behind, they would certainly not work for whoever is anointed by Sheriff, to run for the governorship in the PDP. Therefore, whichever way it happens, Sheriff, no doubt has a battle on his hand.
Lending credence to this fact, the APC chairman in the State, Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori, said: “when Senator Ali Sheriff was Governor, on the ANPP’s platform, he did so much to destroy the PDP, he ended the aspirations of many people, some of them lost everything they had in life after selling off their assets to fund their elections and they got defeated or schemed out. Do you think all these people will fold their arms and watch him come back and take the PDP to achieve something when they know he is in PDP mainly because he is aggrieved in APC?” Speaking of Sheriff’s defection, a chieftain of the PDP and a former minister from the State, said the ex-governor’s defection discussion to the PDP, for now, was being handled by the Presidency, a former Senate President within the PDP and the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT, chairman, Chief Tony Anenih. “Not a single one of us, including the State party chairman is involved in the whole discussion. But we are waiting for them. We have been on ground, therefore, we must be consulted to discuss power sharing arrangement,” the former minister, said.
Another chieftain of the party and a former federal lawmaker, who actually left the ANPP then, because of Sheriff’s high-handedness, simply told Arewa Report, when asked what the fate of the party would be, with Sheriff’s defection, that “my brother, we are just watching o. Hmmmm! I don’t really know what to say.”
Already, some who had left the ANPP then, for the PDP, because of him, have all been attracted back to the APC, by the incumbent governor. Notable among them is Senator Ali Ndume, Hajja Kinna and a host of others, with hundreds of their supporters. The governor too, dissolved his cabinet last Friday. Some Sheriff’s loyalists in the dissolved cabinet may follow him to the PDP.
And the governor too, is expected to bring on board people, including those that would return to the APC from the PDP, because of Sheriff, who would assist him to prosecute the political war against Sheriff and the PDP, come 2015. Another set of people who may also come on board are supporters of PDP chieftains, who though may not defect, who will remain in the PDP, to undo it, because of Sheriff. While campaigning in 2001, preparatory to his ousting of Kachallah out of office in 2003, Sheriff had said that no governor in the history of Borno State has ever gotten a second term. And true to his word, he became the first to record that feat.
However, historically speaking too, until 2011, Sheriff has never lost any election before in Borno, since his foray into politics in the 90’s. But in 2011, he not only lost the election, he was roundly defeated by a relatively unknown politician, in the State. Therefore, knowing the combined implications of his return to the political scene in Borno, especially in the face of the renewed insurgency in some parts of the State, including Gwoza, where the people have since declared Sheriff, as its number one public enemy, it seems only time will tell if the same old magic he has been using, which though failed him in 2011, would still be effective in this computer age, come next year, in his bid to unseat his estranged Political godson.
Why Sheriff defected
Long before his defection, he had always romanced the PDP. In fact, at a point, he was seen as a PDP mole, within the top officials of the party, where he was the BoT chairman.
Announcing his defection from the APC, Sheriff, who was given a waiver to land at the Maiduguri International Airport, at a time the airport was closed to both the incumbent governor and pilgrims from the State and neighbouring Yobe State, who could not fly to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj, from there, said the APC has been turned into a “private estate” of an individual. Interestingly, Sheriff was accused of similar thing, in Borno, when he held-sway, as governor.
He said: “there is nothing to hide. As you can see, I have come to consult with my people on our resolve to pull out of the APC and join the PDP. But this is just a private visit which turned out to be some kind of rally because our supporters wanted it that way.
“We are still consulting with the national officers of the PDP on how to go about it, because the pull out is going to be big, and we hope to organize it after fasting. Presently, as you can see, majority of our people are fasting and praying for peace to return to our dear state. But after the Ramadan we will come back and pull our people out of the APC,” he said.
“When asked why he was dumping a party he helped built, Sheriff, who was said to have been involved in a near-fisticuff with former Lagos governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, at one of the party’s leadership meetings in Abuja, further said: “the game has changed, both in Borno and at the national level. APC has no solid foundation; a party cannot be built around an individual.
“I have taken time to study the package called APC and came to realize that it won’t work. And any serious politician, who knows his onions, would not want to be in a ship that is bound to crash.
“For now, we are in high-level consultation with our people and also with the PDP national officers. It is sad that our people here are in serious want; I came and saw many of them in serious difficulties, and we feel pained that we have to do something fast to assist them. We have no option now than to come and tell them that we are sorry, that we brought them a wrong party, but now we have come to correct our mistakes.”
Asked again, if he was defecting with the incumbent Borno governor, Sheriff said: “Kashim Shettima was my commissioner for four years before God gave us the opportunity of assisting him to become the governor of Borno state in 2011. It cannot be doubted that I took him round the 27 Councils of Borno and sold his candidature to the people before he was accepted and voted as governor.
“But now the game has changed, and we have no choice than to do what the people of Borno State want; we know there was too much sufferings but we call on the people to be patient. We all pray that God should bring us peace so that Borno state can regain its name once again as the home of peace.”
Don’t Go to the PDP
For now, three of the members of the House of Representatives, have also announced that they were leaving with Sheriff, to the PDP. Incidentally, one of them, Arewa Report recalls, is a brother to one of the early founders of the Boko Haram group, in Maiduguri. In fact, their father, who is now late, led the ANPP, to victory, to deliver Sheriff, as governor, in 2003.
But before their defection, the Borno State chapter of the APC had advised party members against defecting to the PDP, insisting that any of its members who defects to the PDP now, would automatically lose out in the 2015 calculations in the State.
In a statement by the State’s party Chairman, Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori, the party noted that the PDP in Borno State has many aspirants that have served the party for years and as such there was no way the party would hand over tickets of Governorship, two Senatorial seats, five or more House of Representatives ticket and five or more assembly seats to a group of new comers, who are not coming with a sitting Governor
He further said: “When Senator Ali Sheriff was Governor, on the ANPP’s platform, he did so much to destroy the PDP, he ended the aspirations of many people, some of them lost everything they had in life after selling off their assets to fund their elections and they got defeated or schemed out. Do you think all these people will fold their arms and watch him come back and take the PDP to achieve something when they know he is in PDP mainly because he is aggrieved in APC?
“At best, when the headquarters of the PDP puts pressures, he can get the Governorship seat for his godson and his Senatorial ticket and if he gets these two slots, every other person will be told to forget his aspiration, they will be promised Minister, Board membership of Federal establishments etc, and most of these pledges will not be redeemed.
“Most importantly also, the old PDP members are even likely to fight whoever Sheriff anoints as the Governorship candidate if that happens because the old people know very well that God forbids, if the godson is elected Governor, he will only pay attention to Sheriff and those around him while the old PDP members will be strangers in their own party that they suffered so much to build and sustain.
“It is in very rare cases that a Governor accommodates political associates he meets through defection. Governor Kashim Shettima was able to embrace the PDP people that defected to ANPP in 2011 because he gave powers to the Deputy Governor that came with them and this was because of Shettima’s large heart that is very, very rare to find amongst politicians,” Dalori, added.
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