TheCable

Ali Modu Sheriff, former governor of Borno state, held a closed door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa on Monday evening.

The meeting lasted for over an hour, but no information was communicated to the press on its purpose.

Sheriff recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In September, the APC criticised the president when Sheriff and Jonathan were seen together with President Idriss Deby of Chad (pictured) at what looked like a private meeting in N’Djamena, the Chadian capital.

Sheriff had just been named as a sponsor of Boko Haram by an Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis, an allegation the former senator vehemently denied.

After Monday’s meeting, Sheriff did not brief reporters.

“No time today. I’m going to see the chief of staff,” he said and left.

In August, around the time he left APC, Sheriff also had a closed-door meeting with Jonathan.

He told journalists then that the government needed knowledgeable citizens like him who knew the terrain of the north-east where Boko Haram has terrorised for five years.

‎There were speculations that the Monday’s meeting might have had to do with the expected release of some of the kidnapped Chibok girls to Deby, who is a personal friend of Sheriff.