By Igbawase Ukumba
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State, Dr. Mohammad Kassim, has insisted that the former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, remains the best choice for the APC national chairmanship.
Kassim, who is a former member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, stated this yesterday in Lafia, when he spoke with journalists in response to a publication that Sheriff cannot emerge a consensus candidate of the party despite his endorsement by the Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. Dave Umahi.
Accordingly, the former lawmaker said: “Senator Sheriff had led the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with capacity, competence and experience. But since he rejected bribe and left to join the party (APC) he helped to form in 2014, PDP has been jittery that if given the opportunity to lead the ruling party, he will collapse the PDP in the country and ensure victory for the APC in 2023.
“Sheriff is an open book as far as leadership is concerned, his humanitarian ideology rejects blood-politicking or life-wasting exercise, he never wanted a single person dead upon victory of his party or candidature.”
According to Kassim, “Sheriff cannot be considered a new comer in the APC, because he was the chairman of ANPP Board of Trustees (BoT) that negotiated merger with CPC and ACN to form the APC in 2014. Everybody in APC is a new member because APC itself is a new political party which was formed in 2014, which Sheriff played a key role to form.”
He explained further that the popular opinion in the APC today is that the North should produce the next APC national chairman, while the southern part of the country produces the next president in 2023, adding that the argument that Sheriff and President Muhammadu Buhari are from the same zone do not hold water.
“Because of his relationship across the country, Sheriff has been consulting governors and other progressives of the party. We sincerely appreciate Governor Umahi for finding Sheriff aspiration worthy to support,” Kassim said.
