A chieftain in the All Progressive Congress (APC) and a former law maker in the Nasarawa state House of Assembly, Hon. Dr Kassim Mohammad Kassim, has recalled how former Borno Governor Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff installed his successor, Senator Kashim Shettima in 2011.
The former Nasarawa lawmaker, who is a stakeholder in the ruling party and a close allied told reporters in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa that Modu-Sheriff practically dragged Shettima from the banking sector and made him Governor using his vast networks and goodwill.
Responding to an online publication that averred Modu-Sheriff is unfit to become national chairman of the APC, Kassim said: “The writer forget to mention how Senator Ali Modu Sheriff singlehandedly brought Shettima from the banking sector in 2007 and made him Commissioner
“Kashim Shettima was Sherriff commissioner for four years and Sheriff single-handedly handpicked him using his empire without primaries to replace the late Gubio who was killed by unknown gunmen.
“Today, apart from Governor Zulum, every politician both national and at the state level from Borno State made it through Sheriff empire.
“It is on record that during the Third Republic, Sheriff of the NRC defeated Kolo Kingibe of the SDP, wife of the SDP Chairman, Babagana Kingibe to emerge Senator for Borno Central in 1992.”
He added Modu- Sheriff was also elected Senator on the platform of the UNCP during General Sani Abacha’s military regime and returned in April 1999 as Senator on the platform of ANPP during the Fourth Republic.
“In 2003, he ran for Governor of Borno State on the ANPP platform and won and he was re-elected in 2007 and in both cases he defeated the PDP candidate, Kashim Ibrahim Imam.
“He left remarkable legacies as Borno State Governor for eight years and the records are there for everybody to see. He was one among the founding fathers of ANPP and was the party’s board of trustees chairman
“He led the party into negotiation with other opposition parties to form the APC. His desire to contest for national chairmanship of APC is born out of passion for progressive Nigeria and his sincere belief in the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Sheriff himself has come out openly to declare that he cn only contest the national chairmanship position if it is zoned to North east, pledging his loyalty to the party and the leadership of President Buhari.”
Kassim said allegation that Modu Sheriff is sponsor of Boko Haram in Nigeria cannot stand the test of time because the SSS already cleared him on December 10, 2004 of any indictment.
“The SSS in their report claims that Stephen Davis and others fraudulently conspired to blackmail and implicate Sheriff and Mala Othman, former APC chairman of Borno State as sponsors of the Boko Haram,” Kassim stressed.
He argued if Sheriff was involved in sponsoring of Boko Haram he would have been arrested by SSS and other security agencies for questioning.
He warned those bent on discrediting and blackmailing Modu-Sheriff to desist because all allegations against him have been thrashed.
