Sheriff is an impostor, Borno APC declares

Tom Okpe, Abuja

The State publicity secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Borno state, Makinta Zarami said that the embattled former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is impersonating by declaring himself as zonal leader of the APC.

Zarami in a statement issued and released to pressmen on Wednesday said Sheriff was also behind reports previously published by a section of the Nigerian media claiming he was being lobbied by the APC in the state to return to its fold after his sack by the Supreme Court from being National Chairman of the PDP.

“The embattled former National ‎Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Modu Sheriff is responsible for misleading an online media house with fake information which declared him (Sheriff) as the new zonal leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in clear attempt to impersonate an existing occupant of the office”.

The Borno chapter of the APC said it had earlier maintained a dignified silence but has decided to speak now that there is new twist concerning impersonation of an office in the party.

‎”As it has been observed, some media promoters of Ali Modu Sheriff have been using the social media to share an online story claiming that the APC National Secretariat has appointed Sheriff as the new leader of the APC in the northeast. We consider this a clear case of impersonation, because as everyone knows, the APC has an existing National Vice Chairman for the northeast otherwise called zonal vice chairman who replaced Babachir David Lawal after the office became vacant following his appointment as Secretary General of the Federation (AGF) in 2015.

“It is disgraceful to note that Sheriff has always boasted of being in the same category with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, Atiku Abubakar and their likes who are National leaders of the APC, resorting to impersonating the office of the northeast zonal vice chairman, all in his desperation to seek political relevance after successfully creating crisis in the PDP.

The statement further said, “Sheriff has been responsible for all media reports saying he was being lobbied by APC leaders. However, it should be placed on record that the Borno APC is not afraid of Sheriff’s coming because he is currently standing alone. As can be attested to, most of Sheriff’s most notable political associates like Alhaji Mala Othman who had been with him for over 30 years, his personal assistant, his spokesman and other long standing friends have all left him and joined the APC before and immediately after the 2015 elections.

“He is a like a herdsman without cattle as such his coming will be of no effect. There is virtually no one in Borno politics that has not had a terrible experience with Sheriff in the past; hence he is not new to anyone in the state. The APC he left is different today, if he is to return, he will not be able to hijack the party structure even in his own ward not to talk of the State or the northeast in general. The APC is not afraid of him, rather the party’s concern is about the impersonation and false information that is capable of confusing some party supporters in addition to bringing the party’s reputation under public ridicule”, the statement said.