Governor Shettima's reaction sounds comical - Sheriff

Former political adviser to governor Kashim Shettima - Alhaji Yusuf Adamu has said that, recent comment credited to governor Kashim Shettima about financial standing of his predecessor Senator Ali Modu Sheriff sounds comical.

According to him, the former governor would not join issues with his political godson, adding that, neither governor Kashim Shettima who was nowhere in the political circle of Borno nor his media adviser, who started practicing journalism around 2005 have the financial records of the former governor in 2003 to even speak of it.

Speaking to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, the former political adviser said, in 2003, Kashim Shettima never dreamt he would have close contact with Sheriff, "let me tell you, Kashim Shettima would never even dream of coming close to me not to talk of Senator Ali Sheriff. Whenever he (Kashim Shettima) visits some of my friends he sits on the floor because we are not his mates.

"When he started his banking job, he goes to our commissioners to beg for accounts, he even came to me to beg for accounts. He approached many people who are close to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to beg for account. Isa Gusau who has put Kashim Shettima in all the mess that he is presently in, is only compounding problem for his boss. Everybody in Borno state knows Ali Sheriff, his family background but who knows Kashim Shettima's background before he becomes governor?

"Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was born with a silver spoon, he has been in business long before he nursed the ambition of venturing into politics. And when he eventually came into politics he was known to be a crowd puller.

In 2003 that, Kashim Shettima was talking about, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was a serving senator of the Federal Republic, who came took the party from a serving governor and became a governor himself. A weak politician cannot venture into such a dangerous bargain, but he single handedly made that history in Borno.

" Kashim Shettima and his boy Isa Gusau are only gasping for air because the coming of Ali Sheriff to town has choked them. They did everything possible including giving some of their supporters millions of Naira to throw stone at Sheriff's car, but that did not happen because the crowd that came out to welcome Sheriff was overwhelming and they knew trying such evil means going on a deadly voyage.

"We were told that, governor Kashim Shettima was practically shivering when the people he sent to video tape the event of Sheriff's triumphant entry to Maiduguri brought a film that shows Sheriff on his motorcade acknowledging cheers from thousands of Borno citizens who came out to give him a hero's welcome. That, mammoth crowd was a signal to Kashim Shettima that he has less than six months to stay in office as governor of Borno state.

Adamu also said, as at 2003, Sheriff was paying salaries of over 1000 staff of his companies and businesses within and outside Nigeria.