Powerful Politicians out to Bring Me Down, Shettima Alleges

Michael Olugbode

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

The governor said the powerful politicians, who though hail from the state, 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 alleged diversion of food items meant for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state.

It can be reported that the mass media is 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 in 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 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 mischiefs 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.”

He alleged that the same group worked against harmony between Borno State Government and the Goodluck Jonathan administration and they are repeating the same tactics this time around to stop the ongoing collaboration between Borno and the Buhari Government in the fight against Boko Haram.
He said “no amount of mischief will destroy anyone who has Allah’s protection,” noting that “power comes from God Almighty and not from mortals.”

He recalled that “while Prince Audu Abubakar had virtually won the Governorship elections in Kogi, putting so much efforts only for him to die just before he was declared Governor, but at the end of the day, Alhaji Yahaya Bello who didn’t take part in the general elections is now Governor of Kogi State because Allah has willed the power to him.”