Why Shettima has firm grip of Borno politics – Bwala
Inuwa Bwala, who served as a commissioner under Ali Modu Sheriff and Kashim Shettima as governors in Borno State, x-rays the politics of power shift to Southern Borno among other issues.
of whom I still hold in reverence, so I will not want to discuss my problems with Ali Sheriff. I give him his dues as my former boss, even though he may have hurt me in some ways. I have worked with the late Mala Kachallah who treated me like a son, I have worked with Abdullahi Adamu in Nasarawa State and we still enjoy mutual relationship. I returned to Borno and worked with Ali Modu Sheriff, for whom I had to sacrifice my position in Government as a commissioner as a mark of my loyalty. I worked with the incumbent Governor, Kashim Shettima, who is a personal friend yet my boss. I have had varied experiences working with all these people and I give God the glory for such a privilege, which was not available to so many others. Like I said, certain aspects of the experiences are better kept for myself or for my memoirs when it comes.
How would you describe the relationship between Ali Modu Sheriff and the incumbent even after the supposed reconciliation?
I know as a matter of fact that, even in the heat of the disagreement, Governor Kashim Shettima has always maintained a sense of fidelity towards Ali Modu Sheriff, whom he always refers to as ‘my boss.’ He had said at several public fora that he remains eternally grateful to Ali Sheriff for bringing him into political limelight and the eventual confidence Sheriff reposed in him. This much he has told me several times when I tried to mediate in the crisis. On the other hand, Ali Sheriff made us to believe that any negative development around him has the imprimatur of Kashim Shettima. This suspicion was further fueled by some of the negative impressions some lieutenants on both sides created in the minds of the main gladiators. While the division lasted, so many people fed fat on it; those of us who dare tell the truth were often regarded as renegades. That spirit of suspicion is one of the issues standing in the way of genuine reconciliations to date. The governor has in all honesty demonstrated greater desire for reconciliation. He has continued to do things that may leave Governor Shettima with no option than to fight for his own political survival.
With Sheriff as the virtual leader of the APC in Borno, what is your take on the 2019 elections?