APC Says Ex-Governor Had A Hand In Borno Rally Violence

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has pointed an accusing finger at an ex-governor over the violence that took place in Borno state capital Maiduguri when the party’s presidential candidate in the upcoming 2015 election, General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd), visited the city with his campaign team on Monday, February 16.
According to the APC in Borno state, Monday’s violence was initiated by ex-governor Ali Modu Sheriff to justify the cancellation of the elections in the state.

Ex-governor Ali Modu Sheriff of Borno state

Initial reports had suggested that supporters of the APC vandalised and torched several campaign offices and posters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party​ (PDP).

The reports further went on to reveal that, while soldiers were battling to control the large crowd at the campaign rally venue, youths were seen pulling down PDP billboards that were mounted close to the venue. Much later, thick smoke was seen some 500 meters way from the venue as APC youths stormed a major campaign office of the PDP, popularly known as UTC.

However, in a statement issued on Tuesday by the APC, the party distanced their members from the act, PremiumTimes reports.

The statement released by Ali Dalori, the Borno state chairman of the APC said the party had conducted its own investigation into the attack and found out that former governor of Borno Ali Sheriff held a series of meetings with thugs loyal to him, days ahead of the APC rally.

The party said Sheriff also doled out huge sums of money to the thugs and asked them to disguise themselves as APC supporters and attack PDP property.

The statement also said Sheriff’s spokesperson, Inuwa Bwala, swiftly rushed to the media accusing Governor Shettima of being behind the attacks, even while they were being carried out.

Governor Kashim-Shettima of Borno state

“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 in so as to create basis for elections not to be conducted in Borno State by March 28 and April 11, 2015,”  the APC statement said.

The party also revealed that Sheriff was determined to cause violence and stop the elections in Borno to pave the way for him to regain the Senatorial candidature he lost earlier.

The statement reads; “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 his guests.
“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,” the party said.

The APC added that beyond the task given to them to disrupt the APC rally, some of the thugs were equally angered by the inability of their leaders to pay them in full.

“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,” it said.

The APC said it stands to lose if there is a political crisis in Borno that threatens the forthcoming elections, considering the unfortunate security challenges being faced.

“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,” it said.

The party maintained that Sheriff is very desperate, and does not want elections to be held because he is not a Senatorial candidate, the major reason, it said, he moved to the PDP.
It said he nurses the ambition of emerging as Senate majority leader after 2015 if he cannot be the Senate president.
Sheriff has not replied to these allegations.

Six people lost their lives in a stampede that occurred at the presidential campaign rally of the APC in Maiduguri on Monday, February 16, 2015.