APC Convention: Modu Sheriff quits chairmanship race out of respect for Buhari, party

OBIORA IFOH, Abuja

Former Governor of Borno state, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has stepped down from the national chairmanship race ahead of Saturday’s national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC.

In a brief chat Sunday in Abuja, Sheriff said he was stepping aside due to the zoning arrangement in the party which has ceded the office to North Central.

Sheriff who is from the North East however said he would rejoin the race should the party change its mind between now and Friday.

He said, “I am sure most of you are following the trends of activities of our party within the last 10 days or so. The party has taken a position that the position of the national chairman should go to the north central. Meaning, it is exclusively zoned to the contestants from the North Central zone.

“Being someone who respects the rule of law and respects our leaders. No party can take a zoning formula where you have a leader of the party. In any setting where there is a government, the President is the leader of the party. And the President has taken a position. I’ve always told you that I will contest if it is zoned to my zone. That has been my statement always. And today they have taken a position. I respect the president. I respect him as a person and as a president he is my leader. He must have a reason for allowing the party to zone the chairmanship to north central.

“Myself, I’ve led a party. I am a founding father of this party. I was the chairman of Board of Trustees of this party. Meaning every decision Party makes in all the time I’ve been either chairman of the party or Chairman, the Board of Trustees. I know the procedure and the process.

I don’t want to draw a line. I respect the president unless the party comes out between now and Friday to say that, no, we have changed our mind, it is now open. In that respect also they are obliged to allow everybody to pick a form. Therefore, I don’t want to oppose the president in any way or form. I respect him.

“Normally, zoning revolves around a person, you don’t zone in a vacuum. And they must have a reason why it was zoned. And in party congresses and convention there is what is called a unity list. On the last day of the convention, when the leaders make up their mind, they’ll bring out one list. And in that respect, the list will be followed by the participants because parties are made up of men and women who are also coming from the zones and states. Therefore, because of my respect for the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, and the party, I will not contest unless they change their mind between now and Friday.

“I want to thank men and women of Nigeria, because we have been on the field for two years. And my campaign has resonated all over Nigeria. From Abuja to Borno, from Borno to Ibadan, which is the border, from Ibadan to Birnin Kebbi. It has resonated. And people have shown a lot of interest in what we are doing and I thank all of them. It’s not my fault. It’s something that you have to follow the rule of law. For anybody doing otherwise, I don’t think it is correct.

“So I want to let people know that this is the position. I, Ali Modu Sheriff will not offer myself for the contest on Saturday because it has been zoned out of my zone. I am from the northeast. North Central is made of Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Nasarawa., Plateau and Niger. These are the places where chairman will come out from. Borno State is northeast of Nigeria.”