TheCable

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is dumping the party he helped found because of the “cold shoulder” he got at the party’s national convention in Abuja last month, TheCable understands.

However, one of his aides, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, told TheCable on Monday that Sheriff is leaving APC because he was no longer comfortable with Borno being classified as an “opposition state” since the second republic.

TheCable learnt that the former governor of Borno, who had been treated with suspicion all along in the APC following fears that he was working for President Goodluck Jonathan, was not allowed to produce a single national officer at the convention.

His associate, Alhaji Kashim Imam, was prevented from contesting for the position of national secretary as former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar surprisingly announced on the podium that he had withdrawn for Alhaji Mainala Boni ─ allegedly without Imam’s consent.

Imam was said to have been “shocked” and “angry” but it is not clear yet if he will leave APC.

Sheriff is expected to officially defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after Ramadan.

He already announced his intention at a massive mini-rally in Maiduguri on Monday where he returned to a tumultuous reception by both APC and PDP members, bringing the city to a halt.

Bwala said on phone: “Since the second republic, Borno has never aligned with the party in power. Don’t let us deceive ourselves ─ we are losing out on many federal goodies as a result of this opposition tag. The time has come to move. Things cannot continue like this. Borno has taken too much beating.”

The old Borno State was ruled by the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) from 1979-1983 when the party in power at the centre was the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

From 1999 till now, the state has been ruled by the All Peoples Party (APP), which metamorphosed into All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and is now called APC after a merger of opposition parties last year.

Governor Kashim Shettima, a former commissioner under Sheriff, was nominated for governorship in 2011 by Sheriff but they have since fallen out.

A source in Sheriff’s camp told TheCable some weeks ago that the former governor was not working for Jonathan but was only trying to secure his political base following Shettima’s “rebellion” against him.

However, with the turn of events, Sheriff will have to work for the re-election of Jonathan as his new destination is the PDP.

He told journalists at his Maiduguri residence, after being escorted by an estimated 400 cars, that he wanted to pull out his people from the APC.

Sheriff said: “I have come to consult with my people on our resolve to pull out of the APC and join the PDP. This is just a private visit which turned out to be some kind of rally because our supporters wanted it that way. Majority of our people are fasting and praying for peace to return to our dear state. After the Ramadan we would come back and pull our people out of the APC.”

“I have taken time to study the package called APC and come to realise 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,” he added.