Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has written to the Inspector
General of Police, Solomon Arase requesting for an immediate
investigation into the sources of campaign posters bearing his picture
and that of Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, aspiring for the
2019 Presidency with Shettima as President.
The Governor said while he wasn't worried about
whatever political objective aimed by those who "fraudulently" produced
and pasted the posters in many parts of the FCT and Kaduna on Sunday,
that his major concern was his believe that sponsors of the posters had a
"wicked agenda" of undermining the current cohesion between the Borno
State Government and Buhari led administration "working together in the
last one year for the collective goal of ending the Boko Haram
insurgency".
Shettima's letter clearly alluded to an openly bad relationship between
his Government during his first term and the Goodluck Jonathan
administration from 2011 to 2015, a situation the Governor’s office, in
2014, attributed to an executed plot by political group which allegedly
worked against collaboration between the Shettima Government and the
Jonathan administration in fighting the Boko Haram insurgency making the
insurgents to grow stronger.
The letter to the IGP with reference number BOSLO/ABJ/14/IV/407 and
signed by Permanent Secretary in charge of the Borno Government House
and Security, Mr Ahmed Sanda was dated May 29, 2016, dispatched from the
Governor’s office. It read:
"I have been directed by His Excellency, the Executive of Borno State,
Kashim Shettima to bring to the IGP's notice, dozens of fraudulently
produced posters bearing his name and picture claiming he is aspiring
for the 2019 Presidency. The posters have been pasted on some routes in
Abuja and Kaduna.
2. Governor Kashim Shettima regards this development as a highly
mischievous plot that is aimed at destabilizing the emerging peace in
Borno State through creation of unnecessary political tension while on
the other hand it might aim at creating gap between the Borno State
Government and the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration (which
just marked it's first year in office) with a wicked agenda of
undermining the current cohesion between the two arms of Government
working together in the last one year for the collective goal of ending
the Boko Haram insurgency.
3. From a different information we have gathered, the posters are
suspected to be the handiwork of a particular group of politicians
trying to set the Borno State Government and the APC in the State
against the National headquarters of the APC and the Federal Government
so as to lay a ground for a plan by the group of politicians to join the
APC in Borno State and hijack the party's machinery.
4. His Excellency, Governor Kashim Shettima has directed me to most respectfully request the following:
i. The Inspector General of Police authorizes an immediate investigation
to establish the source of the posters and the purpose for which the
plot is meant with appropriate steps taken to arrest and prosecute those
behind the posters under relevant provisions of the law.
ii. Any person at all seen pasting the posters in whatever form and on
any place in all parts of Nigeria be it private or public should be
arrested and prosecuted by the Nigeria Police Force for impersonation
and attempts to undermine public peace and other provisions of law.
5. Governor Kashim Shettima finds these posters embarrassing and assures
the Inspector General of Police that whoever is seen pasting any of
them any where, does so without his prior knowledge and approval.
6. The Governor is of the strong opinion that what is needed in the
country now is for all Nigerians and tiers of Government, particularly
the Borno State Government, to support and work with the President
Muhammadu Buhari Administration in a clearly determined effort to
restore peace in Borno State.
7. Governor Shettima feels Nigeria neither needs nor deserves ridiculous
and immoral campaign and it's associated distractions for 2019
elections when the sitting President has just marked his first year in
office managing serious challenges inherited from the previous
administration" the letter reads.
The letter was received by the IGP's office on Tuesday and copied to the
Director-General of the Department of State Security. It is not clear
if any arrest has been made yet.
See the letter below...
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