APC Chairmanship: Ali Modu Sheriff Steps Down

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 press conference on 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.

He explained that, “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 of 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.”

He added that “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.

The former governor added that, I don’t want to draw a line. I respect the president unless the party come 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. Every form is a  nationalist affairs of a party. 

“Therefore, I don’t want to oppose the president in any way or form. I respect him. I will abide by the decision of the party that it is exclusively zoned to north Central. Normally, zoning revolves around a person, you don’t zone in 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 woman 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’ve changed their mind between now and Friday,” he stated.

While thanking his supporters, he declared, “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. These are the places where chairman will come out from. Borno State is northeast of Nigeria. 

“Therefore that’s the position as of today and I want you to communicate to all of our followers – men and women – all over the country so that they don’t expect to see my name on the ballot paper.”