Despite security challenges in Borno State, Governor Kashim Shettima and former Governor Ali Modu Sherrif are currently on war part over moves made by the Governor to seek a re election in 2015.
Some key political actors loyal to both politicians have already commenced backroom horse-trading ahead of 2015 governorship election, splitting the hierarchy of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in both the state and Federal level.
While some are mapping out strategies to unseat the 46 year old incumbent Governor, Kashim Shettima the Governor on his part, has also commissioned his field lieutenant to embark on massive grassroots campaign.
For now, the political brouhaha is within the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). That is not to say that the major opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not interested in occupying the governor’s lodge.
Shettima is already planning to reshuffle his cabinet. This is because people like the Chief of Staff, Abubakar Kyari, who was a strong contender for the governorship in the last election, and the serving commissioner of Ministry for Local Government, Babakaka Garbai, are alleged to have lunched serious underground campaigns to dethrone Shettima. The current Secretary to the State Government may also be shown the way out.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that Kyari has gone very far with his campaign and had even picked a running mate from the southern part of the state.
Shettima , a banker turned politician seems to be at daggers drawn with his supposed mentor- former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff under whose tenure Shettima served as commissioner in various ministries.
According close political aids of Sheriff , the pact between Ali Sherrif and his god son Shettima is for him to serve a single tenure of four years but its unfortunate that Shettima has already broken the agreement by commencing secret campaign for 2015 I must tell you that Ali Sheriff is not happy with this development hence, has begun to shop for a replacement for Shettima”
Shettima, Pointblanknews.com learnt, has in his bid to build grass root support base ahead of 2015 promised to give 168 units of Toyota LX 450
Jeep to 168 district heads across the state.
This is different from the N50,000 monthly allowance, and 100,000 transportation fare given by the governor to the 168 district heads to return home last time he played host to them.
But former governor, Ali Sheriff, popularly referred to as SAS, is not leaving anything to chance ahead of 2015. Sherrif who is the current ANPP National Board of Trustee Chairman, has resolved his political differences with his erstwhile political son, Alhaji Mohammed Imam.
Before the emergence of Shettima, many touted Imam as the next governor of the state but against the expectations of many, Sheriff handed over the baton to incumbent governor Shettima.
Imam is said to have been anointed by SAS to start warming up to become the next ANPP state Chairman, thereby replacing Alhaji Mala Atuman who was equally installed by SAS shortly before his (SAS), exit in 2011.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the choice of Imam as the next party Chairman of the ruling party in the state is to check mate the political activities of Shettima towards 2015. It was however not clear who SAS would ‘nominate’ for 2015.
Sources close to Sheriff say the former governor now believes that Imam would be more loyal as a governor if presented as the party flag bearer in 2015.
For now, no one is very sure of where the pendulum will swing in the race to capture the Maiduguri government House in 2015 but fact is that the ANPP is already divided in to factions in its early preparations.