Below is a press statement by the Media aide of Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, discrediting an allegation made by Femi Fani-Kayode about the governor over the murder of an ANPP political candidate during the 2011 elections
"The latest media attack by controversial Chief Femi Fani Kayode issued on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 has once again exposed him as the dubious liar that he was, he is and will forever be when he claimed that Governor Kashim Shettima became candidate of the ANPP in 2011 after the party's flag bearer Fannami Gubio was killed because Shettima came second at the ANPP Governorship primary election that was won by Gubio before he was killed, meaning Shettima stood to benefit from Gubio's killing.
For the sake of putting records in proper perspective and in order to expose Kayode's deliberate falsehood, Governor Kashim Shettima did not participate in the primary election that produced Modu Fannami Gubio as candidate of the ANPP ahead of the 2011 Governorship elections in Borno. This contradicts Kayode's statement yesterday giving an impression that Shettima was second at a primary election that was won by Gubio and so he naturally benefited from Gubio's assassination. Of course, the aim is to mischievously link Shettima with Gubio's killing and this is to support the ongoing propaganda of the billionaire Ex-Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and the PDP aligned to him to score cheap point ahead of the April 11, Governorship elections. But then, could it be that Kayode was handsomely paid to further that propaganda?
"Well, for the record, the late Gubio contested the 2011 ANPP Governorship primary election with Alhaji Adamu Yuguda Dibal who was the sitting deputy Governor of Borno State under Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. The election held in January, 2011 at Foreshams Hall, a rented event venue, associated with wife of Governor Sheriff, located at Dipcharima road, old G.R.A in Maiduguri. Deputy Governor Dibal and Gubio were the only two aspirants that contested that ANPP Governorship primary elections held at night and Gubio won with 515 votes while the deputy Governor, Dibal got 169 votes. A total of 709 votes were cast by delegates at the primary election that held at Foreshams Hall. This information can be verified from the google search engine and any journalist in Borno State can confirm that. In fact, about two months before the primary elections, Kashim Shettima was one of the four ANPP chieftains that openly declared he had no intention to contest the 2011 Governorship elections, when he was called to speak at an ANPP stakeholders meeting held at the multi purpose hall of the Government House, Maiduguri around November in 2011, which was presided over by then Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and everyone in Borno knows this. Shettima was not among the first three most likely persons to secure the ANPP Governorship ticket either before Gubio's death of after he was killed. Shettima was actually new in the ANPP since he joined the Borno Executive Council only in 2007 as Commissioner of Finance appointed from his position as a General Manager in Zenith Bank.
"Ahead of the 2011 Governorship elections in Borno State, the current Governorship candidate of the PDP in Borno, Alhaji Mohammed Imam was the most likely person to be anointed by Sheriff and everyone knows that Imam was working to marry Sheriff's daughter and be anointed the Governorship candidate as he was about the closest commissioner to Sheriff's immediate family but it was later learnt, Sheriff's extended family opposed Imam's choice before the primary election that was won by Fannami Gubio. So, one could easily say that he stood the clear chance of being anointed by Sheriff but it will be reckless to link Imam with Gubio's death the same way Fani Kayode did. We are not like him. After Gubio was killed on Friday, 28 of January, 2011, Shettima naturally didn't stand the chance of emerging candidate because he didn't take part at the primaries with Gubio contrary to Femi Fani Kayode's fabrication that any curious person can immediately search through the google search engine through political archives in any media house that reported the Borno Governorship elections.
"Around February 7, 2011, stakeholders of the ANPP at an emergency meeting, decided to settle for Kashim Shettima as a neutral person that showed no desperation towards the Governorship and also because Shettima had over the years built tremendous goodwill due to his kindness and generosity to all categories of people in Borno State since his days as branch manager of Zenith bank in Maiduguri whose bank was the number one financial institution dealing with numerous public and private accounts. After Shettima was adopted by ANPP stakeholders, his nomination was affirmed by delegates at another primary election that held in February, 2011 and nobody contested against him, including the Deputy Governor that came second in the first primary election that produced Gubio. The reason was because most stakeholders liked Shettima's absolute humility, harmlessness, friendliness and kindness and he has maintained such unique attributes till date and this is why, 90 percent of the defunct ANPP (now APC) stakeholders including those that were very close to Sheriff refused to abandon Shettima for the PDP. They remained with Shettima instead of crossing over to PDP with Sheriff in 2014. We please advise ignorant Kayode to do some research before making statements so that he doesn't keep embarrassing our President and the PDP. Femi Fani Kayode seem to be one that knows very little and thinks he knows so much. He should know that he speaks for the Presidency and not his ignorant self, he should learn to take very little time to get his facts right. We understand the extent of hatred he has built in his desperate heart for no reason but he should control the hatred and at least say what he can defend not making dubious falsehoods that keep exposing him. Being a spokesman goes beyond speaking Queen's English, it is about accuracy that should earn one the trust of his listeners," the statement read.
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