Alleged ties with Boko Haram: Ali Modu Sheriff finally speaks up

– Ali Modu Sheriff has denied having any links with the Boko Haram sect

– Sheriff reminded Nigerians that he was a victim of the Boko Haram attacks which led to the death of his brother

– The newly appointed PDP chairman noted that he was labelled Boko Haram sponsor shortly after leaving the APC

Ali Modu Sheriff, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has denied having any links with the dreaded terrorists’ sect, Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, the leadership crisis has rocked the party following Sheriff’s appointment, as many members and political leaders threatened to dump the PDP.

On February 17, 15 former ministers who served in Goodluck Jonathan’s administration met in Asokoro, where they vowed to leave the party if Sheriff is not removed from his new position.

According to the ex-ministers, the former governor of Borno state cannot lead the party that is trying to regain power.

“For several times, he has been identified with the issue of Boko Haram, though he has yet to be indicted. But perception matters a lot. We can’t be defending that toga now. We don’t have such time,” one of the ex-ministers said.

READ ALSO: Why Ali Modu Sheriff’s advent means PDP’s demise, by Femi Fani-Kayode

However, in a recent interview granted to This Day, Sheriff has reminded Nigerians that he was a victim of the Boko Haram attacks which led to the death of his brother and other relations.

“Boko Haram wanted to kill me at a time because they believed that I was the one that reported them to President Umaru Yar’Adua to destroy their enclave. It was after I left government that they moved to their different camps and bushes. Why should they kill my brother? Why should they kill my family if I am a sponsor of Boko Haram? Is there anywhere in the world that you sponsor people to kill you?” he wondered.

Sheriff noted that he was labelled Boko Haram sponsor shortly after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC). Therefore, he called on Nigerians to ask those who blackmail him why they raised the matter only when he left the ruling party.

“Let me give you a typical example. Just a week ago, all the social media planted my picture showing me with the card of APC joining the party. At that time, nobody wrote that I was Boko Haram. They said Sheriff was going back to APC; they were showing a card when we registered with APC before I left the party. We went to our villages to do it; that village they are showing on the social media was a village that was taken over by Boko Haram for the past three years. So, how could I have gone there to register?

READ ALSO: APC tells Sheriff what he must do first before thinking of reclaiming power in 2019

“Few days after I became the chairman of the PDP, Ali Sheriff is now Boko Haram; so if you are in APC you are not a Boko Haram. Throughout my period in APC, nobody said I was Boko Haram. Immediately I left the APC, I was termed Boko Haram,” he said.

The PDP newly appointed chairman also noted that he would have been arrested and already prosecuted by President Muhammadu Buhari if the allegation levelled against him was true.

“Nobody in my family or relation is Boko Haram or close to any Boko Haram member. These people that wanted to kill me, up till today, if they have the chance, they will kill me because they think I reported them to Yar’Adua who leveled their places of worship and along the line, their leader was killed.

“And that was my crime and why they wanted to kill me. But people that are afraid of me changed the story and they keep on doing it. Every day, they write different things but you and I know that nobody is above the laws of Nigeria. I believe that President Buhari, even if it is his son or blood brother that is a Boko Haram, he will arrest and prosecute him. So the allegation is the figment of the imagination of the writers,” he said.

READ ALSO: Acting chair: How Modu Sheriff’s emergence could lead to PDP’s final burial

Speaking about the PDP and his plans for the party, Sheriff said that after handing over he would try to pacify aggrieved members, asking them to come back.

“It is a home they built and it is a home that they should not leave. I will visit the zones, I will visit the states and I will visit individuals whose sacrifices made the party what it was and insha Allah, we will succeed in rebuilding the party.

“PDP will be rebuilt, will be reunited, PDP will come together. I formed a party from the scratch that won elections all over Nigeria; the UNCP which was short-lived was built by me and we won elections all over Nigeria,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PDP members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) have issued March deadline to Goodluck Jonathan to reject Sheriff as the party’s acting national chairman.

The BoT members and some aggrieved senators threatened the ex-president that if he refuses to reject Sheriff, he should be prepared to face mass exodus from the party.

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