Some Powerful Politicians Out to Bring Me Down – Shettima

By Michael Olugbode

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has alleged that some powerful politicians in the state are out to bring his government down.

He said though the powerful politicians hail from the state, they are presently resident in Abuja and have sworn to use whichever means to bring his administration down.

The governor made the allegation while ordering investigation into an alleged diversion of food items meant for internally displaced persons in the state.

The mass media are awash with video clips showing food items donated by the National Emergency Management Agency to IDPs being re-bagged and meant to be sold at the market.

The directive of the governor to the Borno State Command of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Security, DSS,‎ to investigate and arrest anyone found culpable of alleged diversion of the foodstuffs was given on Friday night when he hosted heads of all security and para-military organisations in the state to Ramadan Iftar (breaking of fast) at the Government House.

The Governor said while he would await the outcome of the investigation and subsequent arrest of the culprits, he was very much aware that a group of Abuja based politicians who hail from Borno State have sworn to bring down his administration using all kinds of mischief.

He said one of the mischief in their long list included the one of May 29, 2016 when hundreds of his posters were dubiously produced and pasted along strategic ‎points in Abuja and Kaduna claiming that he was aspiring for President in 2019 with the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha as his running mate.

He said: “When Borno wasn’t safe, they retired to Abuja and completely stayed away and left us but now that peace is emerging, they have lost relevance in their party the PDP and they have started their brand of politics. They know that they can’t take us in terms of performance and their party is crumbling so they have set up an office in Abuja with another one in Maiduguri with some youths hired to ferment mischief, they don’t care if the whole of Borno goes into flames so long as they bring Shettima down. They are coming up with all kinds of mischief including trying to set me up against the Presidency, they don’t care if doing that obstructs our success against Boko Haram.”