Below is a press statement by the Media aide of Borno state
governor, Kashim Shettima, discrediting an allegation made by Femi
Fani-Kayode about the governor over the murder of an ANPP political
candidate during the 2011 elections
"The latest media attack by
controversial Chief Femi Fani Kayode
issued on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 has once again exposed him as the
dubious liar that he was, he is and will forever be when he claimed that
Governor Kashim Shettima became candidate of the ANPP in 2011 after the
party's flag bearer Fannami Gubio was killed because Shettima came
second at the ANPP Governorship primary election that was won by Gubio
before he was killed, meaning Shettima stood to benefit from Gubio's
killing.
For the sake of putting records in proper perspective
and in order to expose Kayode's deliberate falsehood, Governor Kashim
Shettima did not participate in the primary election that produced Modu
Fannami Gubio as candidate of the ANPP ahead of the 2011 Governorship
elections in Borno. This contradicts Kayode's statement yesterday giving
an impression that Shettima was second at a primary election that was
won by Gubio and so he naturally benefited from Gubio's assassination.
Of course, the aim is to mischievously link Shettima with Gubio's
killing and this is to support the ongoing propaganda of the billionaire
Ex-Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and the PDP aligned to
him to score cheap point ahead of the
April 11, Governorship elections.
But then, could it be that Kayode was handsomely paid to further that
propaganda?
"Well, for the record, the late Gubio contested the
2011 ANPP Governorship primary election with Alhaji Adamu Yuguda Dibal
who was the sitting deputy Governor of Borno State under Governor Ali
Modu Sheriff. The election held in January, 2011 at Foreshams Hall, a
rented event venue, associated with wife of Governor Sheriff, located at
Dipcharima road, old G.R.A in Maiduguri. Deputy Governor Dibal
and Gubio were the only two aspirants that contested that ANPP
Governorship primary elections held at night and Gubio won with 515
votes while the deputy Governor, Dibal got 169 votes. A total of 709
votes were cast by delegates at the primary election that held at
Foreshams Hall. This information can be verified from the google search
engine and any journalist in Borno State can confirm that. In fact,
about two months before the primary elections, Kashim
Shettima was one of the four ANPP chieftains that openly declared he had
no intention to contest the 2011 Governorship elections, when he was
called to speak at an ANPP stakeholders meeting held at the multi
purpose hall of the Government House, Maiduguri around November in 2011,
which was presided over by then Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and everyone
in Borno knows this. Shettima was not among the first three
most likely persons to secure the ANPP Governorship ticket either before
Gubio's death of after he was killed. Shettima was actually new in the
ANPP since he joined the Borno Executive Council only in 2007 as
Commissioner of Finance appointed from his position as a General Manager
in Zenith Bank.
"Ahead of the 2011 Governorship elections in
Borno State, the current Governorship candidate of the PDP in Borno,
Alhaji Mohammed Imam was the most likely person to be anointed by
Sheriff and everyone knows that Imam was working to marry Sheriff's
daughter and be anointed the Governorship candidate as he was about the
closest commissioner to Sheriff's immediate family but it was later
learnt, Sheriff's extended family opposed Imam's choice before the
primary election that was won by Fannami Gubio. So, one could easily say
that he stood the clear chance of being anointed by Sheriff but it will
be reckless to link Imam with Gubio's death the same way Fani Kayode
did. We are not like him. After Gubio was killed on Friday, 28
of January, 2011, Shettima naturally didn't stand the chance of
emerging candidate because he didn't take part at the primaries with
Gubio contrary to Femi Fani Kayode's fabrication that any curious person
can immediately search through the google search engine through
political archives in any media house that reported the Borno
Governorship elections.
"Around February 7, 2011, stakeholders
of the ANPP at an emergency meeting, decided to settle for Kashim
Shettima as a neutral person that showed no desperation towards the
Governorship and also because Shettima had over the years built
tremendous goodwill due to his kindness and generosity to all categories
of people in Borno State since his days as branch manager of Zenith
bank in Maiduguri whose bank was the number one financial institution
dealing with numerous public and private accounts. After
Shettima was adopted by ANPP stakeholders, his nomination was affirmed
by delegates at another primary election that held in February, 2011 and
nobody contested against him, including the Deputy Governor that came
second in the first primary election that produced Gubio. The
reason was because most stakeholders liked Shettima's absolute humility,
harmlessness, friendliness and kindness and he has maintained such
unique attributes till date and this is why, 90 percent of the defunct
ANPP (now APC) stakeholders including those that were very close to
Sheriff refused to abandon Shettima for the PDP. They remained with
Shettima instead of crossing over to PDP with Sheriff in 2014. We please
advise ignorant Kayode to do some research before making
statements so that he doesn't keep embarrassing our President and the
PDP. Femi Fani Kayode seem to be one that knows very little and
thinks he knows so much. He should know that he speaks for the
Presidency and not his ignorant self, he should learn to take very
little time to get his facts right. We understand the extent of hatred
he has built in his desperate heart for no reason but he should control
the hatred and at least say what he can defend not making dubious
falsehoods that keep exposing him. Being a spokesman goes beyond
speaking Queen's English, it is about accuracy that should earn one the
trust of his listeners," the statement read.
