BEVERLY HILLS, February 17, (THEWILL) – The Borno State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared on Tuesday that it had no hand in the torching of the campaign office of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP senatorial candidate, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, in Maiduguri on Monday.
It however alleged that the havoc wreaked on Modu-Sherrif’s campaign office during the visit of the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who was on a campaign visit to the state, was the handiwork of the aggrieved thugs of the PDP candidate.
APC stated this in a statement on Tuesday as it described the attack as “highly condemnable and most uncivilised,” even as it insisted that the party should be distanced from such criminality.
In the statement signed by the state chairman of APC, Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori, the APC said: “We found it very shocking that the spokesman of the PDP Governorship candidate in the, State, Inuwa Bwala, rushed to the media just while the attack was going on, pointing accusing fingers on supporters of the APC.
“ Bwala even went as far as alleging that the State Governor, Kashim Shettima, ordered the destruction.
“The manner in which Bwala rushed to press has further confirmed the findings of our investigations that the whole thing was orchestrated by the PDP affiliated to former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff with the sole intent of causing political violence so as to create basis for elections not to be conducted in Borno State by March 28 and April 11, 2015.
“This is because Sheriff does not stand to gain anything politically since he has lost out from being the PDP candidate for Borno central senatorial zone while his anointed candidate for the Governorship, Alhaji Mohammed Imam , does not have the slightest chance of winning the governorship.
“On January 24, 2015 which was the day before the PDP held its Presidential campaign rally in Maiduguri, Governor Kashim Shettima, who is the leader of the APC in Borno State, issued a statement he personally signed and made frantic appeal to all citizens of the state especially youth supporters of the APC not to disrupt public peace but to respect President Goodluck Jonathan and be of good behaviors.
“Governor Shettima even went further by holding meetings with leaders of the APC in various wards with the sole aim of ensuring APC supporters do not breach public peace.
“Indeed, Governor Shettima’s efforts paid off as the PDP held an entirely peaceful rally on January 24, 2015.”
According to the state APC chairman, “On the contrary, former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff sneaked into Maiduguri at about 7pm on Friday, February 13, 2015 as the APC was making preparations to receive General Muhammadu Buhari and for nearly three days, Sheriff kept on holding meetings with different youth supporters of the PDP who brandished all manner of weapons every day they were guests to Sheriff. Sheriff kept on sharing money to these thugs before he left the State on Sunday, February 15, 2015 at about 4:10pm.
“Immediately Sheriff left Maiduguri, we suspected he was up to some mischief and from our investigations, his discussion with most of his political thugs was for them to disguise as supporters of APC and seriously disrupt Buhari’s rally to the extent that confusion would spring up such that Buhari would be forced not to appear at the rally.”
He said this made the APC to take firm security measures to ensure that Modu Sheriff didn’t succeed even though they made severe efforts.
“Somehow, the PDP thugs became divided as we learnt because some of them were not fully paid by Sheriff after being with him throughout their consistent visit to his house whereas they were aware of the plan.
“There was another group of the same thugs that felt short changed by their leaders in the sharing of Sheriff’s largesse for evil intentions. As things turned out, Sheriff’s aggrieved thugs went out of control and descended on the PDP campaign office soon after they started fighting themselves.
“We don’t celebrate what happened anyway because the APC stands to lose so much if there is political crisis in Borno State that threatens the forthcoming elections especially considering the unfortunate security challenges bequeathed to the APC Government by Sheriff’s administration in 2011.
“As things stand in Borno today, the APC is the number one beneficiary of the current political climate and wouldn’t want any breach of the peace how much more inciting it. Sheriff on the other hand has been doing everything to cause confusion,” he stated further.
About the Author
