How the return of Ali Modu Sheriff to APC will destabilise Borno - Yerima

27.04.2018 11:12

A former House of Representatives member, Haruna Yerima, has warned against the planned defection of the former factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

- A former House of Representatives member, Haruna Yerima, describes Ali Modu Sheriff as someone who has been a divisive factor throughout his political career

- He says the former Borno governor has never shared the political ideals of President Muhammadu Buhari

- APC leader Akande, others meet 33 Ekiti governorship aspirants in Lagos

A former House of Representatives member, Haruna Yerima, has warned that the planned defection of the former factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) will destablise the party in Borno state.

Yerima described Sheriff as someone who has been a divisive factor throughout his political career, warning that the return of the former governor to the APC will further plunge Borno state into chaos, Daily Trust reports.

“It is surprising that Ali Sheriff is coming back to the party, which he desperately fought and undermined in the last three years ago,” Yerima said.

“President Buhari and the APC leadership must guard against moves by Sheriff to defect back to the party. A situation where the APC becomes a sanctuary for people with questionable antecedents to take refuge must be avoided.”

“Whoever is smuggling Sheriff back to the APC at this crucial time doesn’t mean well for the party. Sheriff has never shared the political ideals of President Muhammadu Buhari, I, therefore, wonder how he will be of any political benefit to the president.”

The APC chieftain said he doesn’t see any value attached to Sheriff’s defection to the APC, noting that the former Borno governor was a liability because of his alleged questionable role in the Boko Haram crisis that ravages the northeast.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

He urged President Buhari to investigate the former governor over his alleged roles in the 2009 Boko Haram crisis in the state for him to end the insurgency.

“For President Buhari to end Boko Haram insurgency and uproot its deadly ideology, the likes of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and other security chiefs that served in Borno at that time must be thoroughly investigated. They have some clues that are necessary for the total eradication of the insurgents,” he said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the southwest will hold a crucial meeting today, Friday, April 27, in Lagos with 33 governorship aspirants from Ekiti state as part of efforts to maintain cohesion in the chapter.

The Nation reports that the meeting is at the request of former APC interim national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, who has been inundated with complaints and pleas by stakeholders to intervene in what they have described as the "Ekiti situation.

NAIJ.com gathered that the meeting is expected to hold at the State House, Marina. It will be attended by selected party elders, party officers from the geo-political region, and other chieftains.

APC official tells why his party could be voted out in 2019 on NAIJ.com TV